What the Future Holds
by kijani
Summary: Sequel to My Only Hope, we finally see Inuyasha and the gang in the future. What other types of problems could the gang possibly run into now that the hard stuff is supposedly behind them? FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Sequel to _My Only Hope_! Yay! I know many of you wanted one, and I finally got around to starting it! Good for me! Ahem…anyway, please review and let me know what you think about it. This one will be shorter than the other one…so I hope you enjoy it!

**Summary:** Sequel to My Only Hope, we finally see Inuyasha and the gang in the future. What other types of problems could the gang possibly run into now that the hard stuff is supposedly behind them?

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**  
_Chapter One_

"Taka! Toku! Sumire! Shippo!" Kagome hollered up the stairs. "Get up! You are all going to be late for school! Come on! Hurry!" she demanded. A lot had happened. Kaname had grown old and died a short while after her sixty-third birthday. Sango and Miroku's daughter Hikari died about a year later, but by then, Sango and Miroku had been dead nearly twenty years. It was at times like these when Kagome found her lack of the ability to grow old and die to be rather annoying.

She sighed. Beyond that, everyone had managed to stand the test of time. Inuyasha and the gang were now _living_ the future that Mine had made sure they worried about. Everything had gone well.

Sesshoumaru had founded a school for demon and hanyou children in the same year that Kagome had first fallen down the well into the feudal era. Ironically, the school was built only a couple blocks away from the high school that Kagome had once attended. Her friends Eri, and Ayumi would be starting their ninth grade year this year…the same as three of Kagome's four children.

Sesshoumaru was proud of his school, which enrolled, much to his surprise, hundreds of hanyou and youkai children each year. The school taught the children their reading, writing, and arithmetic, but Sesshoumaru also made sure that there were specialty classes. After all, the children needed to know how to properly harness their demonic power…even if such displays of strength weren't really needed anymore.

"Shippo!" Kagome groaned. He slid down the curved banister that would take him to the first floor, and smiled at his mother when he landed.

"Hey mom!" he grinned, wrapping her in a hug. "I'll leave in a minute, I promise…" he added.

Kagome smiled at her adopted son. Shippo had grown up to be a rather handsome young man. He kept his fiery red hair just long enough to place it in a small ponytail. His tail, which had gotten at least two feet longer since he's aged, was no longer a puffy mess, but rather long and beautiful. His eyes were still a beautiful emerald green color, but Kagome now saw something else besides his natural playfulness in them. There was wisdom, age, and understanding…

Kagome blinked as Shippo asked, for the third time, what she could possibly be staring at. She shrugged. "It's nothing, Shippo. Just eat your breakfast, okay?"

Kagome heard several loud pounding noises, and not soon after, she saw Sumire, Taka, and Toku running down the stairs. Taka was beautiful. She still looked exactly like Inuyasha as far as Kagome was concerned, but her hair was less wild, and she often chose to wear the long mane in a ponytail. Toku was also a sight for sore eyes. His hair had grown rather long, and he wore it down as his father did. It had long ago decided that it was going to get darker, and was now only slightly lighter than Kagome's own hair. Sumire, although the youngest of the group, looked to be about Shippo's age. Her long black hair was smooth and silky as it was on her tail, and her eyes were very bright. Despite how old she looked, she still sometimes had the playful mind of a child.

"You guys need to hurry and get to school. I don't want your uncle mad at me, but he's right…you guys are perpetually late…"

"Don't worry about them," Inuyasha wrapped her in a hug from behind. "If they run, they can still make it."

"You're supposed to take my side, Inuyasha." Kagome whispered.

Sumire smiled at her mother. "Don't worry so much, mom! We're going to be fine. We'll get there on time!" she grabbed her toast and headed for the door. "Bye! See you when I get home!"

Shippo, Taka, and Toku took off only seconds later.

Kagome sighed and plopped down in the nearest chair.

Inuyasha frowned. "You're about as bored as I am with this time period, Kagome. If you hadn't gone and resealed that well…"

"I didn't, Inuyasha. The well no longer works because I lived in the feudal era." She explained. "But believe me, I wish we had something to do about as much as you do. I think that's why I loved going to the feudal era so much when I lived here…because it was so exciting…"

"It was exciting because I was there…" Inuyasha smirked.

"Oh, no. I'm not about to blow up your ego any more than it already is." Kagome frowned.

"You two act as if you are still teenagers…" smirked Jin.

Kagome smiled. "So do you…but I am not even going to entertain you with an explanation…" she sighed, standing up. "I'm going to go check and see how the shrine is doing…" she said, walking towards the door.

"Be careful, Kagome." Inuyasha warned.

Kagome laughed. "Inuyasha, remember what I told you a long time ago? Your time…the feudal era….it was a lot more dangerous than this time is. There isn't anything to worry about. I'm going to be fine…"

Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Need I remind you of the mall incident that happened after the twins were born?"

"We changed that, Inuyasha. People look at hanyous and youkai a lot differently now then they did a while ago…"

He frowned in agreement. "Fine." He sighed. "Just hurry back, please? I'll miss you!" he whined, and Kagome smiled.

>>>>>>

"Shippo…wait up!" called Taka. Toku and Sumire followed after them. Rin was walking home with her father.

Shippo turned to smile at his brother and sisters. "I waited for forever!" he told them. "I thought that you guys had already left or something!"

"No," smirked Toku. "We were looking for _you_…"

"Yeah, but you disappeared on us." Sumire agreed.

"I did no such thing!" whined Shippo as their small group rounded a street corner.

"Shippo, watch out…" Taka warned, but a little too late. Shippo nearly collided with a girl who was walking down the street. Shippo managed to catch the girl before she fell to the ground.

He blushed. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention, and I should have known better than to let my guard down…" he stammered. "Are you hurt?" He looked the girl over. She was beautiful, and she was wearing a school uniform that was a mirror image of the one that Kagome used to wear when they traveled through the feudal era. She must be going to the same school that Kagome had once attended.

"I'm all right," she whispered. "Thanks for catching me…"

Shippo blushed madly. "It was nothing. I…"

"You're a demon?" she whispered.

The color drained from Shippo's face. "Yes, I am, but I won't…I didn't mean to bump into you or anything. I didn't mean to hurt you if I did…"

"Don't worry about it," the girl smiled, getting quickly to her feet. "I'm fine. No harm's done…and I like your tail." She added.

"You like my…" Shippo blushed furiously.

She flashed him another smile. "It was nice meeting you, Shippo. My name is Hikari…"

"Hikari?" all four of them blinked.

She nodded, waved, and took off after her friends.

>>>>>>

"Is it possible?" Shippo wondered out loud. "I mean, is Hikari a popular name? She died so long ago…could she be a descendant of the Hikari we know?" he asked his parents.

Kagome shrugged. "Anything is possible, Shippo." She answered him. "Did she look like Hikari at all?"

Shippo nodded. "Yes, mom. She was beautiful."

"You like her?" Inuyasha smiled.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome frowned. "Don't pry!"

"He's been around for over five hundred years, Kags! I can't help but be just a little interested when he likes someone!" Inuyasha whined. "Aren't you? You know you are!" he accused her.

"Maybe…" Kagome admitted. "But you shouldn't pry!"

"It's all right, mom…" Shippo whispered.

"Well, Shippo, if you do like her, maybe you ought to pick a day to go and talk to her? Get to know her, maybe?" she suggested after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

He nodded. "I think I might."

"That's good, because I…" Kagome stopped, and gasped, her face contorting in confusion. She hadn't felt a feeling like this since…She reached out, grabbing Inuyasha by the haori, and spun him towards the door. "Inuyasha…I think I sense…but it couldn't possibly be…could it?"

Just then, Sesshoumaru ran into the house. "Can't you smell that?" he snarled at them. "There is a large concentration of demonic energy heading this way…and it is exactly like that of Naraku!" he yelled. Rin ran up the stairs, tossing her father his sword. Yuka came into the room. "Stay here." He demanded.

"But, Sesshoumaru…how could Naraku? We killed him!" Kagome stammered.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "You are the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyou…how do we know that Naraku was not also reincarnated into someone in this time, as Kikyou was to you? There is one thing I do know. I would never forget that scent. It's him…"

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Bwa ha ha! Evil Cliffy! (smile) I couldn't help it! Anyway, please review, and I hope you like it! I will hopefully update soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Sequel to _My Only Hope_! Yay! I know many of you wanted one, and I finally got around to starting it! Good for me! Ahem…anyway, please review and let me know what you think about it. This one will be shorter than the other one…so I hope you enjoy it! Chapter two!

**Summary:** Sequel to My Only Hope, we finally see Inuyasha and the gang in the future. What other types of problems could the gang possibly run into now that the hard stuff is supposedly behind them?

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Two_

"There's…no way!" Kagome gasped.

"You can smell it just as well as I, can you not?" Sesshoumaru growled. "If he continues on his current path, he could reach us in mere minutes!"

Kagome grabbed her bow and sword. "Shippo! Taka! Toku! Sumire!" She screamed up the stairs. "Grab your swords! There is something heading this way…" She paused. She could have swore she has sensed Shikon shards earlier…but…there was no way! Granted, she was the reincarnation of a feudal priestess, and this _thing _that was heading towards them smelled as Naraku did…did that mean that the jewel could also have come back into being?

"Kagome! Why are you spacing out?" yelled Inuyasha. "We need to be ready when he gets here!"

Kagome's four children appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Sesshoumaru's daughter stood by him, her sword at the ready.

"Inuyasha…I…earlier…I could have sworn I sensed a large portion of the sacred jewel…" she whispered. "Is that possible?"

"You sensed _what_?" Inuyasha yelped.

Kagome nodded. "I wouldn't bluff. I could have sworn that was it…I haven't sensed anything like it since we completed the jewel. I don't understand how the jewel could resurface after it has been so long…" Kagome paused. "Oh, no…" she gasped. "Oh, no…that would explain it! The jewel _of four souls_! Damn it! Damn, damn, damn!"

"What are you screaming about?" demanded Shippo.

"Inuyasha! It's the jewel of four souls! The jewel had a _soul_! Do you _know_ what that _means_? Do you understand how _bad _that is? If the jewel had a soul…and this one had _four_…then it could have been reincarnated…reborn! Just as Kikyou was into myself! Damn it all to hell!" she cursed.

Inuyasha turned, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?" he gasped.

"No. She's making it all up to scare you to death," smirked Jin. "Kagome…are you absolutely sure of what you felt?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"Then I think we have a bit bigger of a problem than we originally thought we had…" Inutaisho whispered. "I say we leave now…meet this Naraku reincarnation before he gets here…try to keep him out of the heart of the city…"

Jin laughed. "We're a little late for that, old friend…"

"Who cares at this point? Do you think those humans would rather be devoured by a monster or let us handle the situation to the best of our ability?" Sesshoumaru asked the group.

They all nodded.

"Is everyone ready?" Inuyasha glanced around the room.

"Yuka, Izayoi, and Akira…please stay indoors. We will protect you." Inutaisho promised.

The three women nodded, and retreated up the stairs. When they were out of sight, the remainder of the group threw open the doors and ran outside. They could feel the evil Naraku-like presence somewhere close by, but could not pinpoint it. It seemed to be coming from all different directions at once.

"Damn it! I can't tell where it's coming from!" Inuyasha cursed.

Kagome smiled in realization. "I don't think he has the jewel!" she yelled.

"What do you mean he doesn't have the jewel?"

Kagome nodded. "I sensed the _before _Sesshoumaru noticed Naraku's scent! And I can tell the jewel is somewhere close by…it feels as if we are right on top of it…although I can not see it anywhere around here…"

Inuyasha yelped. He remembered something from back when he had first met Kagome. Something very important to all of them. The location of the jewel. "Kagome!" he screamed. "Look down! I bet the jewel has returned to it's original resting place!"

Kagome gasped, glancing down at her midsection. Sure enough, the bright pink glow of the shikon jewel was coming from inside her body. "Inuyasha! It's back inside my body!"

"I know, Kagome! Get away from here!"

"He won't know, Inuyasha! He can not see the shards, remember?" Kagome reminded him. "Besides, I refuse to leave the fight!"

"Stubborn woman!" he growled.

"You'll get over it!" Kagome retorted. _What am I going to do? How do we get the jewel out of my body? It has to be purified again, or we will end up repeating the same process that we went through in the feudal era! We can not possibly go through all of that again! Not in this time period! _Kagome turned this thought over several times in her head. She had to think of something. Maybe the hospital…

"Mom!" Sumire screamed. "What's wrong? Wake up!" she yelled. "He's coming straight at us!"

Kagome blinked several times. She could see the 'new' Naraku coming at them now. He looked almost the same as she remembered him from the feudal era. She shivered at the thought, and got out her bow. He couldn't possibly be that strong, right? Right?

Naraku laughed. "I am surprised to see that you all have survived this long…" he mused.

"We're surprised you were reincarnated." Shippo retorted. "You know, what with your lack of a soul and all…" he smirked.

"Really now?" he smiled. "Well, if you all are here, that must mean that the jewel is around here somewhere, isn't it? Tell me where and I promise I won't absorb you…" he threatened.

"That's funny…" smirked Sesshoumaru. "You act as if you were reincarnated with all of your powers…although I surely doubt it…"

"Maybe not…" he growled, "but your children are pretty strong…and if I absorb them, I may get the rest of my powers back…"

"We'd like to see you try!" snarled Rin.

Sesshoumaru paled. "Rin! Shut your mouth!" he demanded.

Kagome gasped. Naraku was reincarnated. That was clear to all of them. However, Kagome was a reincarnation of Kikyou…yet she shared none of Kikyou's memories…only a slight resemblance, her miko powers, and her uncanny abilities with a bow. Yet Naraku not only looked as he did five hundred years ago, but had retained all of his memories. How was this possible for a hanyou who technically had no soul of his own?

Kagome aimed her bow, and let a purifying arrow fly. The arrow soared past Naraku's arm, causing part of it to disintegrate. She cursed.

Naraku laughed. "Haven't had to actually use that in a while, have you Kagome?"

"Shut up…" she growled.

"I bet you know where the jewel is, don't you girl? You were the only one besides Kikyou who could see the shards the last time. I doubt that has changed. You haven't died. You still have your ability to see the shards, don't you? Can your children do it as well?" he questioned.

Kagome frowned. The jewel had been gone by the time that the twins had been born, so she didn't actually know if they could sense the jewel shards or not. She knew that they had inherited her miko powers…but did that mean that they had inherited her ability to see the shards as well?

She glanced back at her twins, who were trying not to look at their mother. Kagome could tell simply from the looks on their faces that what Naraku had inferred about them had been correct. They could see the jewel. And that made them vulnerable…

"No, they can't." she smirked. "And there is no jewel. After we _killed_ you, we used it. It no longer exists."

Naraku laughed at that. "You are a bad liar, girl…" he smirked. "I should kill you simply because of your stupidity…but then again, that would mean that I wouldn't have anyone to take me to the jewel…" He took another threatening step forward.

"Come any closer to my mate or my children and you won't live to tell about it!" Inuyasha growled. "Step away now!"

"Now, why would I do that?" he smirked.

"Mom…" Taka whispered.

"Don't say a word, Taka!" Kagome hissed. "Do not give him a reason to hurt you!"

"I may not have given him a reason to hurt me," growled Sumire, "but he doesn't seem like a very nice guy…and I'm not going to sit here and let him threaten my family like this anymore!" she yelled.

Realizing what she was about to do, Sesshoumaru, Jin, and Inutaisho transformed with her. Only mere seconds later, three large white dogs and one large black one stood guarding the group. The four of them lunged straight at Naraku, baring their fangs. Naraku seemed to have no problem getting rid of the threat that they posed, and soon the four of them were unconscious and back in human form. Naraku laughed happily and turned his attention toward the remaining people in the group.

Kagome blinked. "Sumire?" she whispered. "Oh, my god, Inuyasha...she's..."

"Kagome, get back!" Inuyasha commanded.

"That's my daughter, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha frowned. "I know it's our daughter, Kagome! But they are hurt and now they need our help! We cannot just sit and stare at them! Load another arrow and take a shot while you have the chance!" he commanded. "Before Naraku tries to attack again!"

Kagome quickly did as she was asked, but Naraku dodged her attack easily, and again she cursed under her breath. "What the hell? He was never this fast before! I don't understand!" She loaded another arrow and prepared herself for another attack.

"We haven't dealt with him in a while!" Shippo replied. "Don't worry about it, mom! We're going to beat him! We've already had to do it more than once, right? What could make this time any different?"

Naraku smirked. "I'll tell you what can make this time different…" He pointed. "New variables…" He lunged toward Taka and Toku, who looked just as surprised as their parents and brother at the move.

"Don't touch them, you son of a bitch!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome gasped as Inuyasha was thrown into the nearest building. She heard glass shattering. Inuyasha fell and did not move. Kagome stood in front of her children, growling and holding her sword out in front of her. "You will not touch my children…" she snarled.

Taka and Toku already had their swords at the ready.

Naraku smiled. "Honestly, Kagome…have you forgotten about me?" He paused. "Don't you remember all that I could do when you knew me? You should have thought about that, you know...it could be dangerous to forget such...important details about one's enemy. Especially when that enemy is someone like myself..."

"What are you...?" began Toku.

Taka screamed at what happened next.

Suddenly, Naraku's tentacles shot out from under him. Kagome paled considerably. One tentacle wrapped itself around Kagome, and Naraku began to shake and slam her around until her sword dropped uselessly to the ground. The sword looked similar to Inuyasha's when it was not transformed. Rin screamed as two more of the hideous tentacles shot towards the twins, grabbing them easily. The twins weapons were easily discarded by Naraku. Naraku soon dropped Kagome uselessly to the ground and disappeared, still clutching the twins Taka and Toku within his tentacles.

"Damn you!" screamed Shippo, kneeling down at his mother's side. "Mom...mom! Damn it! Wake up, please! Mom, Naraku has taken Taka and Toku! Please, wake up!" Seeing that his mother was not flinching, he turned to Rin, who was the only other one who seemed not to be injured. "Come on, Rin. We have to help them. You may not be old enough to remember Naraku...but we can not leave Taka and Toku alone with him for too long! He'll kill them! We have to help them!"

Rin nodded in agreement, and the two of them took off after the scent.

>>>>>>

**A/N: **(smiles) Evil, I know, but I will update soon! Please review and let me know what you think! I hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sequel to _My Only Hope_! Yay! I know many of you wanted one, and I finally got around to starting it! Good for me! Ahem…anyway, please review and let me know what you think about it. This one will be shorter than the other one…so I hope you enjoy it! Chapter three!

**Summary:** Sequel to My Only Hope, we finally see Inuyasha and the gang in the future. What other types of problems could the gang possibly run into now that the hard stuff is supposedly behind them?

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Three_

"Inuyasha! Wake up! Damn you!" Kagome slapped him across the face. Hard. "Get up you idiot! Come on! Taka, Shippo and Toku are missing!" she screamed. "Get up!" she sobbed. "Inuyasha…please…"

"Kagome…" Sesshoumaru groaned.

Kagome slapped Inuyasha hard across the face, and he shot into consciousness. "What the hell? What's wrong, Kagome? Why are you crying? What happened?" Suddenly, realization hit Inuyasha like a ton of bricks. "Where are…the twins? And Shippo?"

"Rin is missing as well…but they were conscious, last I remember…" Sesshoumaru frowned.

Jin blinked. "Could they have gone after Naraku all on their own?"

Kagome paled at this. "They wouldn't!"

"They would." Sesshoumaru frowned. "The both of them have been training very hard at school…maybe they thought that they could handle it…or that we wouldn't recover in time to go after Naraku successfully…."

"That has to be it." Inuyasha nodded.

"So when do we leave?" asked Sumire.

Inutaisho smiled. "We leave now. We will follow Shippo's scent rather than that of Naraku…that way we have less of a chance of running into decoys. Since we don't know when they left us here, we may have a possibility of catching up with them…"

Inuyasha nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me…" he agreed.

Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha…their weapons! They are unarmed!" she pointed.

"Who? Shippo and Rin? No, they're not…oh…." He blinked. "We have got to hurry…" he whispered, picking up his children's swords and taking off in the direction of his eldest son's scent. The trail was at least an hour old, which meant that they could be pretty far away by now…and his twins with no way to protect themselves….

He cursed silently to himself as the others began to follow him. _I didn't know that Shippo or Rin could move that quickly. We are going to have to hurry if we are going to find them before they get into trouble. _

"Inuyasha! There's no way they could have gotten this far!" Kagome frowned. "Are we sure there isn't some type of barrier around here?"

Inuyasha stopped, and his father and Sesshoumaru nearly collided with him when he did so.

"What the hell, Inuyasha?" growled Sesshoumaru. "What did you do that for?"

"Did any of you notice a barrier? Kagome is right. I don't think they would have gotten this far. It doesn't make sense." Inuyasha worried.

Sumire shook her head. "There was no barrier, daddy. We would have hit it by now…"

"But I think we may have been here before…." Jin whispered.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha frowned.

Kagome gasped at where they happened to have stopped. They were standing in front of the Higurashi shrine….her old home. Her mother still ran the shrine, but Kagome hadn't lived there for five hundred years…

"Inuyasha! You don't possibly think…."

He nodded. "Actually, I do." He paused. "Let's go…"

"But Inuyasha! There might be people there!" Kagome hissed. "It's a shrine! We can't just run in like that with our swords drawn! If Naraku is here, he could have hostages…"

"Hostages?" Jin frowned.

"We have to take that chance!" Inuyasha drew his sword, and ran at the stairs, but was pushed back.

"You should have been expecting that one, father…" Sumire shook her head. "You will be able to break the barrier, won't you?" Sumire looked slightly worried as she stared at the spot where her father had just been cut off from reaching her siblings. She bit her lip. If this Naraku guy was as good as her parents and uncle claimed, then would he be able to keep them from getting in? From saving her friend and family? She shivered.

>>>>>>

"Naraku you stupid son of a toad!" Shippo spat. "Let us go! If you were going to do this then why not kill us already, huh? Where are my brother and sister? What have you done with them? Answer me!" he demanded.

Naraku laughed. "Little Shippo…my, you have grown up." He smirked. "Your brother and sister are fine. I can not get to them." He waved. "That is where you are going to help me out."

"I will not!" Shippo growled. "Besides, I can't help you anyway! Do you think _I _somehow know how to break down their barriers?" He laughed to himself. "You're sadly mistaken there…and even if I could, I wouldn't."

Rin nodded in agreement. "What do you want with us, anyway?"

"You?" Naraku smiled. "It was just purely luck that brought you here, my dear. I am so excited. I have wanted to absorb your father for hundreds of years now…and if he was _that _powerful five hundred years ago, I would love to see how powerful he is today…"

"He won't just let you hurt him!" Rin snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"

"He never had one…" Shippo whispered.

Naraku coughed. "Well, Rin, you see…back then, Sesshoumaru had no weakness…so of course he wasn't just going to roll over and let me absorb him. But now he's grown up. And he has weaknesses. Two very _big_ weaknesses. Understand?"

"Yuka?" Shippo gasped. "What did you do to her, Naraku? How many people are really here, huh? Tell us!"

"I will get to kill you all today. I have you in my custody, and Akira, Yuka, and Izayoi are merely humans who happen to be mated to demons. All I have to do is kill them, and I have eliminated six people. As for Inuyasha….he is stupid enough to allow his mate and all his children to come with him into battle…and for that, he shall pay the ultimate price. I will absorb you all. There will be nothing left…and then _I _will be the one with the powers to track down the illusive sacred jewel…"

"I doubt it." Smirked Rin. "My daddy told me about you. You've never won before. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Shippo paled. He could smell it. His parents had finally broken through Naraku's barrier. They would be there soon…but what were they going to do about everything once they got here? He blinked. He _had_ to think positively. They had pulled through before…and this time was going to be no different than any of the others.

Naraku laughed. "Aw, Shippo…are you worried about your parents? Well, I think that there may be someone I want them to meet…"

"What do you mean?" asked Shippo, his eyes widening.

"Shippo, say hello to Kaira." A woman looking frightfully similar to Kagura stepped out of the darkness and bowed. Naraku glanced at her and nodded. "Kaira, the twins will soon realize that their parents are here. When I give you the signal…kill them. I'll hold off Inuyasha and the others so that you can take your time if you wish to do so. Afterwards, you can meet them. I'm sure they'll love you…" he smirked.

Rin and Shippo both paled, and jerked on their chains.

"Damn you!" screamed Shippo.

"Taka! Toku!" screamed Rin. "Don't put the barrier down! Don't listen to her! Keep your guard up!" she screamed. She wasn't sure how successful her words were. The barrier the twins had erected was preventing her from catching their scent at all.

Naraku blinked, and held out his hand. Kaira stopped in her tracks. "Wait." He commanded.

"Yes, Master Naraku?" Kaira bowed.

"I don't want you to kill the twins first. I want you to kill the human women. Go." He pointed.

Yuka looked like she was going to cry. "No!" she screamed. "Mom! Dad! Help mom! Somebody!" She jerked at her chains, but the action was only serving to make her wrists swell and bleed. She cursed under her breath.

Her anger was quickly building inside her body. She had never before had any reason why she would want nor need to be this angry. She had never felt anything like this before. It was a sudden surge of demonic power, coursing quickly through her veins like a fast-acting poison.

A growl escaped from somewhere deep within her throat, and suddenly, she was free from the shackles that had kept her wrists and ankles from moving.

_"Do not hurt my mother,"_ she growled in warning, taking after Kaira.

Naraku looked worried for a moment. "What was that?" he snarled.

Shippo gulped. He knew what _that_ was. That was Rin turning full demon for the first time since he'd known her. It had been five hundred years, and he had never seen her as she just was. Her eyes were red with her fury…her fangs and claws grew in length…and now, there was nothing and no one that was going to stop her. Shippo paled at the thought. Sure, Rin would easily kill Kaira now…and Rin would be able to recognize her own mother's scent…but Shippo was uncertain about the fate of Akira and Izayoi. Shippo remembered times when Inuyasha had gone full demon. He had tried to hurt Shippo and his other friends on more than one occasion. His mother Kagome was always able to pretty much control herself in that state…but she was a miko…

There was a loud growl, no doubt from Rin, and then a scream. After that, there was silence.

"Oh…no…" Shippo whispered, and stopped moving, listening for any sound at all, but there was none. _Please let everything in there be all right. Please._ He prayed silently.

Naraku growled and disappeared. Shippo jerked in place, but he could no longer sense the evil hanyou in the vicinity. His father's scent, however, was getting closer, and closer…

"Dad!" Shippo yelped. "Get me down! The twins are in another room somewhere, and Akira, Izayoi, and Yuka are here as well…in Kagome's old living room…"

"Where is Rin?" demanded Sesshoumaru.

Shippo rubbed his wrists as his father released him. "Uncle Sesshoumaru, she…she turned full demon when Naraku's incarnation Kaira tried to kill Aunt Yuka…"

"She transformed?" Kagome and Sumire gasped in unison, and ran into the living room.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. "I think that the twins are upstairs somewhere. I'll be right back…"

"Where did Naraku go?" asked Jin.

Shippo shrugged. "I don't know. He decided to disappear right before you guys showed up. That coward. He's afraid of us."

"Sesshoumaru…" Kagome called. "Everyone is fine. Rin is sleeping…but no one is hurt. Thank goodness…" Kagome added.

"Why would Naraku go through all of this trouble to get all of us here and then up and disappear like this?" Inutaisho wondered aloud.

Kagome frowned and shivered. "I don't like having to be back here." She whispered. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"I know what it is, mom. We can't get out of this house." Shippo revealed.

"What…what do you mean?" Kagome stammered.

Shippo picked up the nearest chair and tossed it at the window, but it only bounced back. It hit Inuyasha as he was coming down the stairs, the twins behind him.

"What the hell was that for, runt?" Inuyasha growled.

Shippo jumped. "Dad…we are trapped…inside this house."

Inuyasha blinked. "What do you mean, trapped?"

"Naraku…he's trapped us inside the house…" Kagome gasped. "Mom…Inuyasha…why…would he do that?" she whispered.

>>>>>>

**A/N:** Heh heh. I realize it's a bit of a cliffy, but you guys are really going to hate me in a minute. I'm leaving on Friday for Kentucky…so I am not sure when I will be able to update again…which is why I updated this one….because it only had two chapters. I will try to update while I am gone, but if not, I will not be back till the end of July. Sorry guys! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sequel to _My Only Hope_! Yay! I know many of you wanted one, and I finally got around to starting it! Good for me! Ahem…anyway, please review and let me know what you think about it. Chapter four!

**Summary:** Sequel to My Only Hope, we finally see Inuyasha and the gang in the future. What other types of problems could the gang possibly run into now that the hard stuff is supposedly behind them?

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds  
**_Chapter Four_

"Has anyone tried opening the door?" Inuyasha asked, his eyebrow rising at each person in the room in turn.

Shippo blinked. "Maybe you missed the part where the chair bounced off the wall, father?" he smirked. "Although I thought for sure you'd gotten that one..."

"Shut up." Inuyasha snapped. "We have got to figure this out."

Kagome nodded. "I've figured it out. We're all stuck in here. And Naraku is somehow behind it all..." She took a deep breath. "This isn't happening..." she whispered, trying to convince herself that it wasn't.

Inuyasha wrapped her in a hug as Izayoi and his father returned from the upstairs. Akira and Jin shook their heads, but Akira was the first to speak. "There wouldn't be any real way out up there anyway. Inuyasha usually just jumped through Kagome's window...but I can already guess that didn't work, right?"

Izayoi nodded. "Unfortunately..."

The children, having only actually once faced Naraku (with the obvious exception of Shippo) stood around their parents looking as clueless as the day that they were born. The twins shivered slightly, and Sumire looked up to her parents for answers.

"How bad is this guy?" she demanded.

"We were lucky the last couple of times we faced him...but it was so long ago." Inuyasha admitted. "He had to have gained in strength by now. We have no clue what his abilities may be...and with the jewel apparently back yet again...that means he isn't our only problem..."

Sesshoumaru stroked the sleeping Rin on her head before standing up to face the group with Yuka. "Yes" he agreed, "we do have multiple problems right now...but our first step to solving any of them is to find a way out of this house..."

"Anyone got any bright ideas?" Inuyasha growled as he sliced at the barriers with his sword. When nothing happened, he permitted it to fall to the ground in anger. "Obviously this is getting us nowhere, so we have to think of something else."

Kagome shrugged. "We don't even know what he wants, so how do you expect us to get out of here before then? Most of us already know how his sick mind operates..."

Akira nodded. "That is not a reason to let him manipulate us." she reminded everyone.

Kagome sighed. "Well, that appears to be what he's good at." She said under her breath.

Sesshoumaru coughed. "He hasn't tried anything yet...so, we all need to be on our guard, but I doubt there's any good reason to just all stand here in the middle of the room like sitting ducks..."

"I'm going to go up to my room and take a nap for a bit. I don't feel very well." Kagome announced, and made her way up the stairs.

Inuyasha turned to Akira. "I'm going to leave her alone for now. I think we should all have a bite to eat and think about what we are planning to do next." He suggested.

"That sounds like a lovely idea..." Izayoi agreed.

>>>>>>

Kagome tossed and turned in her sleep, which was light enough without the constant interruption of her own nightmares. Her room was the same as she remembered it, and while that offered a small bit of comfort, Kagome still felt very uneasy about the current situation in which she and her family found themselves. Last time Naraku was around, she had barely been able to protect herself...but now she had four children to protect as well. She did not want to fail them. She couldn't.

"_Kagome..." _

Kagome sat bolt upright. "Who's there?" she demanded, although she could sense no one.

"_Kagome..." _The voice repeated itself, sending a scared shiver down Kagome's spine. She jumped up, lunging for the door, but it slammed in her face. She pulled and pushed and pounded it with her fists, but it would not budge. He had managed to do it. He had separated her from her family...and this time, it was her own fault.

Downstairs, Inuyasha frowned as one of his ears twitched. "Did you guys hear that just now?"

"It was the door slamming..." Sesshoumaru told him.

"No, not _that_." he snapped. "The other noise. Kagome is up there!" Inuyasha jumped up from his seat and bolted up the stairs, all four of his children on his heels as he went.

"Inuyasha! Inuy..." Kagome stopped. A barrier had just appeared in front of her door. To scream for Inuyasha now would be nothing but a waste of her breath. She sank to the floor in defeat and placed her head in her hands.

"_Giving up already?" _It was that voice again, only this time Kagome recognized the scent that went with it. She jumped up in alert.

"Naraku you jerk! Where are you?" she yelled.

"Boo..." he smirked, grabbing her from behind. She struggled, but he was stronger than she remembered him, and his mere scent was making her ill. He jerked her sideways, and she yelped.

"Let go..." she demanded, a little less than polite.

"Here's how it's going to be this time around, Kagome," Naraku hissed in her ear. "You will help me find those jewel shards, or I will make sure that even Inuyasha won't recognize you..."

Kagome paled.

"...and then, I'll go after your children...one...by...one..." he continued, as Kagome's skin started to turn even more white than before. "Do you understand? I take it we have a deal?" he smirked.

Kagome gulped. Naraku wasn't known to be one who joked with anyone. He never had been. However, even knowing that, she could not and would not allow herself to accept his offer. If she was to lead him to the jewel shards...she shivered at the thought of the consequences a stupid act like that would surely cause. He had promised to hurt her...and he had brought her children into the situation...but still, Kagome could not bring herself to accept anything on Naraku's terms.

Again, she gulped. She was going to have to deal with the consequences of this on her own. This time, Inuyasha wasn't there to help her out of it. She looked up at Naraku, her eyes glazed in thought, and growled, "No!"

Naraku took the news as if she had slapped him squarely across the face. He stared at her blankly for a moment before the expression on his face turned to one of anger.

"What?" he screamed.

"I won't do it." Kagome whispered. "I refuse to help you..." Again she tried to struggle free of him, but his grip tightened in such a way that she was almost sure that her arm would break soon if he did not let go.

He did, too. Letting go of her arm, his grip replaced itself around her neck, and she struggled and coughed in an effort to get some air into her lungs. She felt like her lungs were on fire. She was beginning to lose consciousness, although she fought it valiantly. The thought of what Naraku might do to her then was frightening to her more than anything he could do while she was still fighting to resist him.

Outside her door, Inuyasha dropped to his knees and latched on to his stomach in pain. Kagome was being hurt...and he was useless. He couldn't even get through the door to help her. She had been in there for quite a while on her own, and his sword wasn't helping him get to her as it usually did.

"Dad! Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha screamed down the stairs. "Help me! Kagome needs help!" he pleaded.

Suddenly Shippo detected two very familiar scents...although these were scents that he was sure he hadn't smelled in over four hundred years. He jerked around just as he heard the voice behind him.

"Stand up quickly, Inuyasha! Get that useless sword of yours and help me knock out this barrier!" the man commanded. Inuyasha wheeled around. Standing behind him were two very familiar people. It was them...his friends from the Feudal times...Sango and Miroku...here to once again help him save Kagome. He nodded and stood quickly, despite the pain, and latched on to his sword.

Miroku hollered something, and threw one of his sutra papers at the door as Inuyasha once again tried to slice down the barrier that kept him from being at his mate's side. Inuyasha watched the barrier a moment, and finally it dissipated. By the time he got into the room, Naraku had once again disappeared, and Kagome was lying on her bedroom floor. She was conscious, but only barely. She tried to lift her head as Inuyasha and her children rushed into the room, but such an action caused her head to spin, so she laid it back down.

"Always getting my sister into trouble, aren't you Inuyasha?" groaned Sango, kneeling at Kagome's side to help address her wounds.

Kagome gasped in surprise and pain when she saw Sango. "Sango..." she whispered. "How did you..."

Sango hushed her friend and smiled. "That, Kagome, is a very long story, and right now you shouldn't be doing any talking. You're hurt badly. Miroku and I will explain everything as soon as your wounds are taken care of. For now, just rest..."

>>>>>>

**A/N: **There's chapter four for you! I hope you liked it! Please review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Here is chapter five. I hope you guys like it, and please keep your reviews coming! Your awesome feedback is the fuel that makes me want to keep writing! I hope you enjoy this next installment!

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds  
**_Chapter Five_

Kagome groaned groggily as she awoke, and glanced around the room in curiosity. It had to have been a dream. Kagome could have sworn that Sango and Miroku, two of her closest friends from the feudal era, had come to her aid with Inuyasha...but it was impossible. They had been dead for five hundred years.

Frowning deeply, she allowed her head to fall ungracefully back down to her pillow, but yelped at the pain the simple gesture caused. Her head shot back up quickly.

"Inuyasha...?" she whispered. She was still inside her old house, which must mean that she and her family were unfortunately still trapped inside its walls. "Inuyasha?" she called again, this time louder than before.

She could faintly hear talking coming from an adjacent room, and soon, Inuyasha entered, as well as the rest of her family, and...

"Sango? Miroku! It really was you two! How did you...? I mean, what did you...?" Kagome stammered, ignoring the pounding sensation in her head.

Sango laughed. "I told you it was a long one, remember? But we've come up with a shorter version, if you'd like to hear it?"

Kagome nodded with enthusiasm. "Tell me! I'm just so glad you're back!" she beamed.

"Well," began Miroku in his most professional voice possible, "to the best of our knowledge, something happened when Naraku came back. I don't know how to explain it, but the resurfacing of the Shikon jewel has somehow thrown us all back into the picture...even dear Sango and myself..." he pointed.

Something suddenly occurred to Kagome. "Miroku, if the jewel is back, does that mean..."

But Miroku had already begun to nod sadly, and he brought his cursed hand into her view. "Yes. History is once again repeating itself..."

Kagome nodded, partly in shock. Naraku was back. The jewel was back. Sango and Miroku were alive again, standing in front of her as if they had never been gone. It was a lot to handle all at once like this.

Sango smiled at her. Kagome remembered the demon slayer how she used to be...always either in an informal kimono, or her demon fighting suit. The Sango that stood before her now was slightly different. She had her hair pulled into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, and was wearing a pair of baggy blue jeans and a blue baby doll t-shirt. The same case applied to Miroku, who was wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans and a red hooded sweatshirt. Kagome blinked. It was odd seeing her friends decked out in modern clothing...but at least they were there with her once again.

"We have so many problems I'm surprised we're not drowning in them yet." Sesshoumaru was saying. Kagome blushed. She had no clue how long she had been spacing out. "We have to figure out some sort of game plan...and as I've said countless times now, our first order of business needs to be getting out of this house..."

"Yes," agreed Inuyasha. "We have to find a way out of here so that we can go looking for the jewel shards. How did you two get in?" Inuyasha was staring at Miroku and Sango with questions in his eyes.

Miroku shrugged. "We didn't know we'd be trapped in here once we got in, if that's what you're asking." he answered.

"We have to get to the jewel shards before Naraku does!" Shippo worried.

Kagome shook her head vigorously. "No, we don't."

"What do you mean by that?" Inuyasha frowned at his mate and studied her as if she was suddenly a completely foreign entity to him. "Have you forgotten what would happen if he was to get his hand on the shards?"

"There aren't any _shards_..." chorused Taka and Toku.

Shippo blinked. "How so? There were shards last time. We spent over three years collecting them...I think I would remember something that important. It's when I met mom and dad after all..."

"There weren't shards of the Shikon jewel until I messed up and broke it apart, remember?" Kagome whispered to the group. "The jewel was whole in the beginning. It was my fault before that it was broken as it was..."

"So that means..." gasped Jin.

Kagome could only gulp in response, and Inuyasha nodded slowly. He had realized that the jewel must have reformed itself inside Kagome's body when they had first met the reincarnation of Naraku. It was not a good situation at all. Of course, Naraku had yet to realize what was really going on. That was good. However, the jewel having returned to its original resting place, Kagome was now ten times more vulnerable than before.

"We have to get it out...smash it again..." Kagome was saying.

Inutaisho was shaking his head vigorously. "No way. That is even more risky than..."

"If Naraku was to figure out what was really going on and get his hands on Kagome, then we wouldn't even have a leg to stand on..." Jin interjected.

"True." Sesshoumaru nodded.

Miroku shook his head in disappointment. "Sadly, I do not think it will prove to be that simple. The jewel does not shatter easily. What happened to it the last time was nothing but a stroke of sickeningly bad luck. I'm telling you, we're going to have a harder time than any of us thinks right now..."

Sango sighed. "I'm not too sure about that, Miroku. From what I was told, the jewel shattered pretty easily..."

"Well, it wasn't supposed to!"

Kagome cleared her throat loudly. "I know a way to solve the problem really quickly..." she announced to everyone.

Inuyasha glanced at her with a confused look on his face, and cocked his head sideways as if he was waiting for her to explain herself. "What is it?" he finally asked. "What are you planning to do?"

Kagome, a pained look on her face, smiled at her mate, and in a second flat, plunged her clawed hand into her side where the jewel was hidden. She screamed in agony at this self-inflicted injury, but merely seconds later was holding the jewel between her thumb and index finger.

Inuyasha stood, staring at her with his mouth agape. "What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded. "What am I supposed to do if you bleed to death? Are you all right?" After a moment of silence, Inuyasha looked annoyed. "Kagome!" he yelled.

Kagome blinked. "Inuyasha...there is something that I have to do." she whispered.

Sango glanced at her friend with uncertainty in her eyes. "Kagome...are you all right? What are you going to do with it? We need to make it disappear..." Sango reminded her in the calmest voice possible.

After a moment, Kagome nodded, although she appeared to have something terribly wrong with her. Despite her nodding, Kagome made no efforts to move. Her eyes, usually very bright, seemed to have glassed over the moment her hand came in contact with the jewel...and if that wasn't bad enough, she was horribly pale and bleeding a great deal from the injury in her side.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shook her gently.

"Inuyasha!" Akira chided him. "I don't know what's wrong with her, but you might end up hurting her if you keep shaking her like that!"

"She's already hurt!" Inuyasha snapped. "Something is really wrong with her!"

Sango and Miroku nodded. They had to side with Inuyasha this time. Something was indeed wrong with Kagome...from the moment she had retrieved the jewel from within her body, something had been wrong...

"Lady Kagome?" Miroku whispered, waving his hand in front of Kagome's eyes.

Inuyasha frowned, and his left ear twitched. Suddenly, he jumped up, sniffing the air as if he had lost something. "What the hell?" he growled. "What happened to my mating mark? My scent is gone."

Kagome still did not move. Inuyasha sniffed her inquisitively.

Jin gasped in sudden shock and realization. "Wait a minute! What in the world is going on around here? What happened to Kagome?"

"This isn't Kagome!" Inuyasha announced, although the hanyous and demons in the room had no doubt already noticed this fact.

"Well, it's obvious _something _has happened..." smirked Miroku, but he was promptly silenced by a slap to the back of the head from Sango.

"_The fight within the jewel must gain a decided victor," _whispered Kagome, although not in her own voice. _"In order for that which is loathed to be destroyed, the battle within must be decided. Only then can the enemy truly be defeated..." _

"Who are you and what have you done to Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded quickly.

Kagome was silent a moment, and then the voice from inside her answered once again. _"I am the miko from whose soul the Shikon jewel was formed. The battle between good and evil is still being waged inside the Shikon jewel. In order for you to be victorious...in order for you to finally dispose of the Shikon jewel, I must first win my battle..." _

Realization hit the group like a ton of bricks, but Miroku was the first to speak. He cleared his throat rather loudly, and croaked, "Lady...Midoriko?" he whispered. "Is it you that has possessed Lady Kagome's body?"

After a moment, Kagome nodded, and Midoriko's voice came out of her mouth once again.

"_Kagome is going to help me. Using our combined miko powers, we should be able to neutralize the demons that have plagued me. If we purify everything, then the jewel will be nothing more than a useless, shiny, pink stone..." _

"Neutralize?" Sumire stammered. "Purify everything? Wouldn't that mean..." her voice trailed off in fearful uncertainty.

"_Yes. In order to successfully defeat the evil within the jewel, Kagome and I must purify everything...including ourselves..."_

_>>>>>>_

**A/N: **Oh, I think this one was slightly evil of me. If you review, I just might be persuaded to update a little faster. :D Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Oh, yeah! I'm back, baby! Just kidding…but seriously…been a while, hasn't it? Anyway, I noticed I hadn't updated this one in a while, so here you go! Please review and let me know what you all think!

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**  
_Chapter Six_

Inuyasha paled considerably, and blinked several times. Grabbing Kagome's shoulders, he shook her, hard. "Midoriko! Midoriko, you wench! You can't do this! Kagome is a hanyou! This will kill her! Don't you understand?"

"Inuyasha…calm yourself." Sesshoumaru demanded.

He frowned. "I don't see you trying to do anything about the situation."

"We can't, daddy." Sumire whispered sadly.

Realization again slapped Inuyasha in the face. Kagome was going to die. Kagome was going to purify herself to end everything. He glanced at her. She was there, but she wasn't. It was her, but it wasn't her. The fight for the Shikon jewel was really going to ruin their lives.

"Dad…" Taka frowned.

Inuyasha looked up. His father, his brother, his mother, and everyone else was staring at him with worry in their eyes. His father cleared his throat in a manner much louder than necessary.

"Inuyasha," he said seriously, "you do realize…what will happen if Kagome dies, don't you?" he asked.

Sighing, Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Yes, I _realize._"

"Inuyasha!" Miroku snapped, and the hanyou's head bolted upright.

"What?" he demanded.

Miroku shook his head. "I've never known you to give up before! What the hell are you doing? Are you just going to sit there and tell me you aren't going to try to save her? You always do! You can't pick now to change such an important tradition!"

Sango nodded in approval. "You have to help her. We have to help her. She's fighting a battle. We can not let her fight it alone."

"You're forgetting she isn't alone." Sesshoumaru reminded them quietly.

Sango nodded again. "Yes, she's with Midoriko…but we are her friends and family. She needs us to be there for her…not here."

Miroku coughed. "Well then…I suggest we figure out a game plan. What are you going to do?"

Inuyasha stood, once again placing his hands on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome! Kagome? Can you hear me? We're…coming in there….to help you!" he paused. That sounded a bit weird…but it was true.

"Dad…what if we touched the jewel? Nothing happened to mom until she physically had it in her fingers. Maybe we just have to touch it." Shippo suggested. He took a step forward. "It is worth a try…."

Inuyasha gulped, and slowly, he nodded. "You hear that, Kagome?"

"Idiots." Sesshoumaru spat.

The entire room turned to stare at Sesshoumaru, who was staring back with a frightening look in his eyes. He took a step forward, and did not blink once.

"I can not allow you all to go in." he said. "Sending our spirits inside the jewel would only serve to leave our bodies behind and open for Naraku's attack. Have you forgotten who trapped us here in the first place? Not to mention the fact that all of us would be purified if we went inside the jewel. If we want to help Kagome, we need to honor her sacrifice. She wouldn't be too happy if we all died trying to prevent a situation under which we had no control…"

There was a moment of silence.

Inuyasha blinked. "Why are you picking right now to be an ass hole, Sesshoumaru?" he demanded after a moment.

"Sesshoumaru…." Yuka began.

"I'm sorry…" Sesshoumaru whispered. "I can not allow everyone to go on a suicide mission. I'm not discussing the matter any further. With anyone." He added, turning to Yuka.

She nodded slowly, and did not say another word.

>>>>>>

"Lady Midoriko, watch out!" Kagome screamed, sending out an arrow. Kagome had never before seen so many demons at one time. If Midoriko had truly been fighting this many demons when she died, Kagome was astounded. It was perfectly understandable why the fight to finally rid the world of the jewel had taken so long.

"Kagome, take my hand…" Midoriko reached out.

Kagome, rather than take her hand, merely looked at it. "Why?" she asked.

"We are going to purify everything. Once everything is purified, the power behind the jewel of four souls will be no more." She answered.

Kagome blinked. "Purify…everything?" she repeated, and the priestess at her side nodded. "You didn't say…I thought I was brought here to help you fight the demons, not to purify them…We can kill them…but I can't…"

Midoriko looked shocked. "What is the problem? You are a strong miko. That is why I asked you here…"

"The problem is that I am a hanyou." Kagome snapped, pointing to the very obvious ears atop her head. "If I was on my own, I would purify everything, and I wouldn't care about the consequences. However, I have a mate and four children. If I die, he dies as well, and then my children would be orphans. Besides, the actual jewel isn't what puts us in danger."

"Oh?" smirked Midoriko.

"Right. It is people who seek to use it for the wrong purposes…people like Naraku. If my mate and I were to perish because we purified the jewel, that would not guarantee the safety of my children. Destroying the jewel will not destroy those who are after it."

"Your family is aware of the risks, Kagome." Midoriko whispered.

"How?" she demanded.

"I informed them."

"You?"

"Yes."

Kagome paused at this. This was new information. "You knew this was going to happen. You pulled my soul into the jewel knowing what you wanted to do….and you told my family I was going to die? I came here to help you fight the demons, yes…but I planned on winning, and going home."

Again, Midoriko could only blink. "I'm sorry, Kagome. We haven't any other choice." She finally replied.

>>>>>>

"I should kill you." Inuyasha growled.

"Father!" Shippo snapped. "Contain yourself! We didn't think…and…Uncle Sesshoumaru is kind of right. If we all got our souls sucked into the jewel, we would all be purified when everything was over. Mom would be so mad at you…"

Inuyasha looked as if he was going to punch a wall. "So…we just have to sit here, and watch her die? I…" he was at a loss for words.

Sango frowned. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. How were we to know this would happen?"

But Inuyasha had jumped up as if he had just gotten a very smart idea. "Sesshoumaru!" he yelped.

"No," Sesshoumaru answered simply.

Inuyasha's smile fell from his face. "Damn you! Why must you be so negative?"

"Inuyasha, in order for Tenseiga to work, the dead must still be in possession of their soul. Kagome's soul is inside the jewel now…"

"Son of a…!" Inuyasha cursed, finally punching the wall. "Damn it! Kagome…" He sank down onto the nearest couch, and placed his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I…I have an idea, Inuyasha…" Miroku whispered. "It may hurt Kagome, but I think it's better than the alternative."

Inuyasha looked up momentarily. "All right." He said after a moment. "Whatever it is, go ahead and do it."

"But don't you want to know what…."

"No. I said just go ahead and do it. If I know what it is, I'll think twice, and we don't have that kind of time on our hands right now." Inuyasha snapped.

Miroku sighed deeply. "All right…" he nodded in agreement. "But…there is something else." Miroku held up a sutra, and glanced around the room. "I'm going to try to draw Kagome's soul out of the jewel and back into her body with this sutra…but since we don't know what's going on inside the jewel, I won't be able to control it. We could end up with some demons on our hands….or their souls, anyway…"

"Which would mean…" Akira frowned.

Miroku tossed his staff to Sango, and placed another sutra on the ground amid the group. "When I throw this the sutra, plunge my staff into the ground where I have just laid that sutra. A barrier should erect itself around you all…"

"Miroku…why?" Sango demanded. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know, but I should be able to absorb them with my kazaana once we are sure Kagome's soul is back into her body…" he answered.

"And how will we know?" asked Taka.

Inuyasha nodded. "Trust me. We'll know."

"Everyone get ready!" Miroku commanded. "Now, Sango!" He threw the sutra toward Kagome's body.

The jewel was still clutched in Kagome's hand. When the sutra hit her, it sent out a shock, and Inuyasha jumped as Kagome's still rather frigid body convulsed. The jewel, rather than falling to the ground, floated out of Kagome's hands and hovered in front of her. It began to shine brightly before several glowing balls emerged from it.

There were five in all. One of them shot into Kagome's body.

"Lady Kagome! Is that you? Are you all right?" Miroku called, looking nervously at the other four balls of light.

Kagome blinked, and the color began to return to her cheeks. For a moment, she looked very confused. "Is it you?" Miroku repeated, staring directly at her.

She gasped and quickly nodded. "Yes, Miroku, it's me…" she answered. "What happened? How did I get back?"

"Explanations shall come later, Lady Kagome!" Miroku yelled. "Brace yourself! The others are safe, but the kazaana is likely to destroy absorb everything around us…."

Kagome nodded in understanding, and wrapped her arms around Miroku's waist. He opened up the kazaana, and the four balls of light were soon gone…as was the wall of the house. He closed it quickly, and fell to his knees.

The sacred jewel of four souls was lying on the ground near Kagome's feet. There was no longer a glow coming from it. Carefully, Kagome picked it up and examined it between her fingers. After a moment, she smiled.

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Had to leave it there. Do you hate me? Oh, well, that's too bad. Please review, and I will update as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Here's chapter seven! Hope you like it! Please review!

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**  
_Chapter Seven_

"What's the verdict?" whispered Miroku.

Kagome looked up as Sango tossed Miroku his staff.

"There isn't anything coming from it. Nothing at all. It's nothing but an ordinary jewel now." She told them all.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the entire room.

Sesshoumaru took a hurried step forward. "Well, it seems the monk has provided us with our way out of the house. Finally." He smirked. "Now all we have to do is find Naraku and get rid of him before something bad happens…"

"Sesshoumaru," said Yuka simply, "you're ruining the happy moment for everyone else. Be happy. You've finally gotten rid of that jewel…and this time, we know it's for good."

"We can not remain here long." Sango warned them all. "Naraku will be back…"

Shippo began to laugh in an almost alarming fashion.

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose in confusion. "Okay, runt. I know what just happened was really good and everything…but did you hit your head? What's wrong with you? Why are you laughing like that?"

"I just thought of something funny is all."

"What?" demanded Kagome, looking interested.

Shippo grinned. "Can you all imagine the look on his face when he realized what has happened?" He paused. "We have entered a whole new ball game…and this time around, we have the upper hand. We are stronger than him. We can beat him. It would be easy now. We could set a trap, and…"

"Wait a minute…." Inuyasha growled, warning in his voice. "Be careful what you say, Shippo. We aren't out of the woods yet. You saw how strong he was back at the house…and that was without the jewel shards."

Sango looked like she was thinking. "I like it." She said finally.

"Like what?" demanded Miroku.

"Shippo's idea…it could work." Kagome nodded, as if she could read what Sango had been thinking. Sango smiled at her friend, and Kagome walked over to Inuyasha.

"Kagome…don't even think about it. You are not doing something like that. Have you lost your mind completely? I won't let you. Miroku just had to pull your soul out of that thing. I won't risk losing you again. Do you understand?"

"I'll be fine, Inuyasha." She assured him. "We already know that he knows that I can see the jewel shards. It makes sense that I be the one to lure him in to the trap. It's more believable that way."

"Wait a minute! When did we decide on any of this?" yelled Kagome's father.

"Just now." Kagome replied. "Come on. Let's get out of here." She walked through where the wall once stood, and out into the sunlight. "We have some business to take care of."

Sesshoumaru followed her. "I agree with Kagome. Come on. We already know where to find him…"

Inuyasha did a double take. "Since when do we know where to find him?"

"He's evil, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru answered simply.

"And?"

"And…being a villain is like photography. You have to wait for the right moment. Which means that he is probably at the house, sitting in your chair, waiting for you or Kagome to walk through the door…"

>>>>>>

"Or…not." Sesshoumaru frowned as they entered Kagome and Inuyasha's house.

"Well, yet another one of your brilliant theories flushed down the toilet." Inuyasha smirked.

"Can you two not fight for more than like three minutes?" snapped Yuka. "Be nice to each other."

"I'm going to rest." Sesshoumaru said airily. "Someone can come get me when something of interest happens."

"Because we wouldn't want to leave you out." Smirked Inuyasha as his brother headed towards the stairs.

Kagome yawned. "I think I'll go take a nap as well. I didn't realize how much everything had made me so tired." She kissed Inuyasha gently, and was soon at the top of the stairs. The useless shikon jewel hung loosely around her neck. "Night!" she called.

>>>>>>

"I don't like it." Inuyasha's father growled. "Things have been too quiet."

"Meaning?" Jin asked.

Inutaisho sighed. "Naraku went to elaborate lengths to make sure that we were trapped inside that house. So what was he doing while we were in there? And don't you think he would have tried to attack us by now? But no, Sesshoumaru and Kagome are upstairs napping, Inuyasha is eating an entire box of ramen, and I don't even know where the kids are…" He paused. "It's too…relaxed."

Jin nodded in agreement. "Maybe a little bit."

"I can't help but think about what Sesshoumaru said, though. It makes perfect sense…to wait for an opportunity like…" suddenly the color drained from his face. "Has anyone been upstairs to check on Kagome?" he demanded, jumping from his chair.

Inuyasha looked up, concerned. "I looked in on her a while ago. I think everything took a lot more out of her than she was willing to admit down here. She was injured, I think, in the battle inside the jewel…"

Inutaisho ran towards the stairs. "Sesshoumaru was right!" he called.

>>>>>>

Just an hour earlier, Kagome had been sleeping when she heard something snap close. Someone was in the room with her. Lifting her head only slightly from the pillow, she sniffed the air, but her sense of alarm died quickly when she recognized her mate's scent in the air.

"Hey, Inuyasha…I'm fine…no different than when you were here five minutes ago…" she said groggily.

Inuyasha said nothing in reply, and Kagome kept her eyes closed. She could feel the covers shifting slightly, and shortly after that, felt the mattress sink.

"Inuyasha, if you were tired too, you should have said something earlier…" she whispered sleepily, and shifted her position in the bed slightly. Her eyes opened into small slits, and she yawned.

As she opened her eyes, realization hit her like a ton of bricks, for laying next to her was not Inuyasha, but Naraku. He covered her mouth before she could manage to scream, picked her up, and stealthily jumped out of the bedroom window.

>>>>>>

Inutaisho banged hard on Kagome's bedroom door, which, unfortunately, he found to be locked tightly.

"Kagome!" he called. "Kagome, wake up and open the door!" he demanded.

Inuyasha was at the top of the stairs in an instant. "Dad, what's going on? What happened? Is Kagome all right?"

"We left her alone…" was Inutaisho's reply.

Inuyasha paled. "You don't think…?"

"Yes, I do." His father nodded slowly.

"Kagome!" screamed Inuyasha, pounding on the door. When she did not open, he finally gave up and kicked the door in.

Inside his and Kagome's room, a heap was gathered under the blankets, and Inuyasha rushed forward to check it.

"Kagome?" He pulled the covers back quickly, and his heart sank. The only thing he had managed to find was a pillow. Kagome was nowhere in sight. "Damn it! Damn him to hell!"

"Dad…" Sumire whispered. "Mom…she had the fake shikon jewel with her, didn't she?"

Inuyasha paused, and his skin became even paler than it already was. "Oh, no…"

"That joke about the jewel was only funny because we were all planning to take him on. This wasn't part of the plan. We have got to find Naraku and Kagome before he realizes that the shikon jewel that she carries is a fake."

"Dad, he'll kill her!" Shippo gasped, his eyes tearing.

"Don't you think I know that already?" Inuyasha snapped. He unsheathed his sword and headed for the stairs, banging on Sesshoumaru's bedroom door as he went. "Come on everyone! We have got to find them quickly!"

"Inuyasha…" Jin whispered. "You need to stay here."

Inuyasha's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Have you gone mad?"

"No. You need to stay here. We can't track Naraku if you come with us…it would get too complicated."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Inuyasha.

Jin sighed. "He's masked himself with your scent, Inuyasha. You need to stay here so that we are able to figure this out…"

"Naraku is smart. We leave Inuyasha behind and we're down a valuable fighter...but take Inuyasha with us and we'd never find them." Sesshoumaru frowned. "We'd have better odds with Inuyasha and Tesseiga there with us. Naraku knows no one can weild the sword but Inuyasha. What he did was pretty smart..."

>>>>

**A/N: **I know, funky ending for a chapter, but I'm kind of hyper, so I couldn't help it. Please review and I will try to update again as soon as I can.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Here's chapter eight! Hope you like it! Please review!

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds  
**_Chapter Eight_

"Which way does it go from here?" frowned Jin. "Inuyasha is back in that direction, so…it's this way. Come on, guys!" he called.

The group followed Jin. Bringing up the rear was Shippo, Sango, and Miroku.

Shippo glanced at Sango and Miroku, blushed, and quickly looked away.

Sango noticed quickly. "What is it, Shippo?" she asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"I think it's something." Miroku smiled. "What is it?"

"Is your daughter…is Hikari here in this time period as well?" Shippo finally managed.

Sango's eyebrow rose, and she grinned. "Why do you ask, Shippo?"

"I saw…I thought I saw her one day. I bumped into this girl from the human school, and she looked exactly like Hikari. Her name was even the same…but I didn't think it could be her…since she died so long ago. Or at least I didn't think it could be her until you guys came back. Now I'm not so sure about it…and I was just wondering…" Shippo was blushing furiously now.

Sango laughed, and nodded. "Yes Shippo, that was Hikari all right…"

"We will tell her you said hello." Miroku said, a hint of interest in his voice as he studied the young fox demon in front of him. Sure, Shippo was over five hundred years old, but he was still a child by most aspects, and his interest in Hikari was fascinating to the monk.

>>>>>>

"Kagome…stupid enough to wear the jewel around your neck as if it was some kind of decoration." Naraku smirked. "How unwise, letting it fall right into my hands…and I even got you as a consolation prize on top of that. What a day this has been."

"You have the jewel. What more could you want with me?" Kagome demanded.

Naraku could only manage a cold, dry laugh. "You don't get it, do you? What more could I want? You are the perfect tool…the perfect weapon against Inuyasha and your friends. They will come for you, and then I will wish upon the jewel. When the jewel has fulfilled my desires, nothing will stop me."

Kagome frowned. "You can't do that." She spat.

"I do not think that you are in a position to be giving anyone orders…" he replied.

"It won't work." She blurted.

Naraku's smile fell quickly from his face. "Excuse me?" he growled.

"It. Won't. Work." Kagome repeated boldly.

"What did you do?" Naraku screamed, pinning Kagome to the wall by her throat and hoisting her into the air. "Tell me now." He demanded.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. "You don't get it, do you? What do you think we did when you locked us in my house? We didn't just sit around. The jewel of four souls has no soul. The power within it is gone. It is nothing more than a shiny rock now. A completely useless, shiny rock…" she laughed. "I believe that's checkmate now, isn't it?" she smirked after a short pause.

Naraku's cheeks reddened in anger. "You are a liar!" he screamed.

"What motives would I have to lie?" she challenged.

Naraku glared at the jewel with a hateful expression unmatched by any Kagome had ever seen him wear. There was no glow coming from it…not even his powerful energy was having any effect. He threw it down so hard that it shattered, and squeezed Kagome's throat tighter than before.

"For that, you will pay with your life." He swore. "I'd like to see Inuyasha save you this time…"

>>>>>>

Inuyasha gasped in pain. "Kagome…no…"

Suddenly, he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He could tell that somewhere, Kagome was in trouble. She needed him to be by her side. She was in pain. He could sense her distress.

_"Inuyasha…" came Kagome's voice. "Help me. I can't breathe…"_

"Kagome!" he yelled out. The pain in his chest grew, and he could feel his temper finally beginning to boil over. How dare they all leave him behind? Kagome was in trouble. His mate needed his help. Now. It wasn't too long until he felt himself go over the edge. He clutched at his sword, but the Tesseiga's powers of containment did not seem to have any effect on him. His eyes reddened, and he felt a surge of power shoot through his body. In seconds, he was out the door, and tearing off down the street, following Kagome's scent.

>>>>>>

Kagome screamed in pain as Naraku slashed at her one more time. She paled as she watched the blood trickle from her wounds. She was growing weaker and weaker as the moments went by, and still, she could sense that her friends were not near. Inuyasha was not near. She was all on her own.

"Why don't you just scream? Cry?" smirked Naraku. "I can feel it. You're growing weaker…you won't last, and you know it. Just give up."

"No. I won't." Kagome swore.

There was a growl from somewhere in the room, and Naraku wheeled around in surprise. He must have recognized the scent just as quickly as Kagome had. For some reason, she felt stronger just seeing him standing there like he was.

"Get away from my mate…" said Inuyasha, a frightful amount of warning in his voice. "Leave her alone."

Kagome paled. Yes, Inuyasha knew she was here…but he was very far gone. His eyes were a bright blood red, and his fangs and claws were longer. He was holding the transformed Tesseiga in his hands…proof to Kagome that this was a much bigger problem than even Naraku thought it was.

Naraku bravely took a step toward Inuyasha, although there was now a cautious look in his eyes. "You're nothing but a monster now, are you Inuyasha?" he smirked.

Inuyasha growled, and charged forward.

Kagome gasped. The next thing happened so quickly, she wasn't even sure if it had really happened or not. One minute, Naraku was standing between her and Inuyasha, and the next minute, Naraku lay on the ground, not moving, and Inuyasha stood over Kagome, staring at her intensely.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered. She wasn't scared of him at all, but his current state did worry her quite a bit.

He bent down, picking her up carefully and looking over her wounds. He frowned at a particularly nasty gash on her shoulder, and he began to lick it. Kagome yelped in pain, and Inuyasha looked up.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome repeated. "I'm okay. Calm down. Calm down and come back to me…" she whispered to him.

Inuyasha seemed to be calming slightly. There was a low purring sound coming from somewhere in his chest. He took a deep breath, and Kagome could feel his muscles relaxing. She reached up, placing a hand on his cheek, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

>>>>>>

Jin stopped dead in his tracks. "Guys…" he whispered. "Do you sense that? There was a huge surge of power just then. Almost like…" He paused. "Something has happened with Kagome and Inuyasha! Come on! It's this way!" He charged into a three-story building, and the group followed after him.

Jin stopped in his tracks as he reached the top floor. In front of him, Inuyasha was holding Kagome in his arms. The Tesseiga lay forgotten on the floor next to Naraku's lifeless body, and Inuyasha looked completely normal.

"Are you two…" Jin began.

"We're fine." Kagome smiled weakly. "Is everyone else all right?"

The group nodded.

"Is it…finally over?" whispered Miroku, cautiously gazing downward at his cursed hand. He looked for a moment as if he was afraid to do anything. Finally, he reached down, and removed the prayer beads that usually kept the kazaana in check. When the beads came off, nothing happened, and Miroku sighed with relief.

"Finally…" smiled Shippo. "Now we can get on with the rest of our lives…"

Inuyasha and Kagome looked up with interest twinkling in their eyes. Kagome smiled at her son. "We know what you mean, Shippo...and we think that it is about time we got to live our lives as well. Now we are finally going to get the chance. It's exciting, isn't it? We're free. Free of the jewel, and free of Naraku's threat..."

The twins nodded. "Let's go home," suggested Taka, patting her brother on the shoulder. "I think we've all had enough excitement to last is quite a while."

The entire group nodded, even the usually skeptical Sesshoumaru.

>>>>>>

"Shippo, why so quiet?" Sango wondered out loud.

He blushed. "It's nothing. I was just wondering about...never mind..." he paused, looking away quickly.

"Would you like to talk to Hikari, Shippo?" Miroku blurted. "She loves your tail..." he added, laughter in his voice.

Shippo once again went scarlet, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes." He admitted. "I would."

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Well, there's that chapter for you! Please review and let me know what you think, and I will try to update as soon as possible. This one is shorter than _My Only Hope_…quite shorter…but I have several other projects in the works right now that will be out soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Here is the next chapter of this one! Hope you all like it! Please review and let me know what you think.

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Nine_

"That…as in everything that just happened…was far too close for comfort." Inuyasha whispered to himself. "I can't believe all of that happened…"

"I can. You were only following your instincts and protecting your mate. It makes perfect sense, and there is no shame in it." Sesshoumaru assured his brother. "Had you not done what you did, whether you could control it or not, Kagome would be dead, and so would you."

Inuyasha nodded, but looked unconvinced.

"Don't even think what I know you're thinking." Kagome warned him.

"Where is Shippo?" asked Taka, coming into the room with her brother.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Actually, I haven't seen him…"

"Your son went with Miroku and Sango to talk to Hikari." Kagome explained quickly.

"Who?"

"Their daughter." Kagome tapped her foot, and Inuyasha blinked in understanding.

"Oh." He whispered. "Wait a minute! What about their daughter?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Think about it, Inuyasha. It will come to you sooner or later," Kagome smiled, placing a small kiss on his forehead and walking from the room.

>>>>>>

Sesshoumaru pulled Inuyasha aside. "Since Naraku's died, registration at the school has gone up. We even have demon and hanyou children registered from Europe and America. We have a _waiting list_ now. I didn't realize there were so many demon and hanyou children around anymore."

"Well, it's Shippo's last year, so he's one less that you have to worry about." Inuyasha smiled.

Sesshoumaru laughed. "I don't think that Shippo has ever given anyone any type of indication that they should ever stop worrying about him. But then again, the way some people raise their children today…"

"Sesshoumaru…" Inuyasha growled.

"Lighten up, you idiot. Naraku is no more. This isn't the feudal era. I'm not going to try to kill you in your sleep or anything."

Inuyasha blinked. His brother, Sesshoumaru, former lord of the western lands, had just told _him _that he needed to lighten up. "Did you just…" he began.

"Don't look too far into it." He shrugged. There was an uncomfortable pause for a moment before Sesshoumaru continued on. "Are you even aware of what that son of yours has been up to lately, Inuyasha? Or do I really actually have to explain everything to you?"

"Depends…" Inuyasha frowned. "You're going to have to be a bit more specific. Which one are you talking about? Shippo or Toku?"

"Who do you think?" Sesshoumaru smirked.

"Is something the matter with Shippo, Sesshoumaru? Come on. This is beginning to get on my nerves a little bit." Inuyasha growled.

Sesshoumaru laughed. "You _are_ an idiot, aren't you? Nothing's the matter with him, unless you count love as an illness…"

"Love?" Inuyasha repeated.

"Kagome tried to tell you weeks ago, Inuyasha! Shippo is in love with Hikari."

"Sango and Miroku's daughter?" Inuyasha blinked.

"She's the one." He smiled sarcastically. "She attends the school Kagome used to go to, she's a blackbelt, and she has a fascination with Shippo's tail that could rival Yuka's…" he recited.

Inuyasha's eye twitched. "But I…I mean they…"

Again, Sesshoumaru laughed. "Don't worry too much about it, Inuyasha. I remember how it was with you and Kagome as well…and you were the last one to realize things back then, too. Your shock comes of no surprise to me at all."

"Are they going to…you know…?" Inuyasha gulped.

"He is your son. You will have to ask him yourself about such things. However, I personally think that the pups would be very fine hanyous indeed…"

Inuyasha paled. "Please, Sesshoumaru! No speculating on grandchildren that I don't even have yet! It's creeping me out!"

"I know," laughed Sesshoumaru, a childish glint in his eyes.

>>>>>>

"At what point, Kagome, did I miss this? This is big, and it just flew unceremoniously over my head like it hasn't been happening for several weeks! I had to find out from Sesshoumaru, for crying out loud. I mean, honestly…" Inuyasha whined later that week.

"I've tried to tell you several times, but you have been so preoccupied with everything that has been going on, it must not have registered." Kagome suggested.

"_That's_ an understatement…" Inuyasha frowned.

Kagome cleared her throat. "You know, Inuyasha, she is the same age that I was when we were mated."

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. "They wouldn't! Would they? But he's so young! And she's…she's _younger_. What do Miroku and Sango have to say about this?"

"Well, she is their daughter, so I can imagine you already know what they think about it." Kagome whispered. She waited a moment, but Inuyasha still looked completely bewildered. "They think it's a lovely idea, Inuyasha. Don't look so worried…"

"You've…_you've already discussed it with them_?" he gasped.

Kagome smiled. "It has been the topic of conversation a little more than once." She admitted. "Seeing them together, Inuyasha…they really are a wonderful pair. They remind me of me and you when Shippo was really young…"

Inuyasha frowned and scratched his head. "Do they yell at each other _that_ often?"

"No…although we did, didn't we?" she laughed. She cleared her throat. "All I'm saying is that you ought to go and speak with Sango and Miroku…and then it wouldn't be too bad of any idea for you to speak with your son…"

Inuyasha looked worried.

Kagome smiled, wrapping him in a hug and laying her head on his shoulder. "Inuyasha, everything is going to be okay. I love you. I wouldn't lie to you about something as big as this. You have to remember we are in the future now. This is not the feudal era, and things such as this are no longer frowned upon as they once were. No one is going to try to hurt Shippo or Hikari. They are safe. They will be fine…" she assured him.

"I'll talk to him about it." Inuyasha nodded decisively. "And I might as well speak to Sango and the lecher while I'm at it…"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. I think that would be a very good idea."

>>>>>>

"Okay monk, Kagome has told me that Shippo is thinking about mating Hikari." Inuyasha said quickly.

Miroku nodded. "Yes, we know."

"And you're okay with it?" Inuyasha still could not believe his sensitive ears. The monk and Sango both appeared to be perfectly all right with everything that he was saying. He gulped. "You're okay with it, even though Hikari is so young?" he whispered finally, after a long pause.

"Inuyasha, we have been through hell and back with you and your family. We have fought alongside you. We know what a dangerous place the world used to be…when you and Kagome were sorting out your emotions." Sango smiled. "But we have also realized that all that fighting we did back then has really paid off in this time. Things are not as dangerous as they once were. Shippo can go out in public, and he and Hikari can be happy together. It may still be frowned upon on occasion, but it is accepted…and if they truly do love each other, then we do not want to stop them from being together."

Inuyasha sighed and nodded. "Yes, I know things are safe now. I've already received that talk from Kagome earlier today…"

Sango beamed. "And besides, Inuyasha! This means that we'll actually be related! Can you imagine it? I used to always say I considered Kagome more of a sister than anything…"

"Do you know when they are planning on…" Inuyasha began, his face turning scarlet. It was positively embarrassing that everyone else knew more about this than he did.

Miroku grinned. "Yes. I believe they are waiting until they are done with school this year…" he informed his friend.

"Should we do something?" Inuyasha asked next.

Miroku sighed. "My friend, the only thing that we should do is sit back, relax, and be happy for our children." He smiled slightly. "The sky has always been the limit with you and Kagome…even back then. I bet, for Shippo and Hikari, the possibilities seem just as endless right now. We should just sit back and watch their future unfold. I'm sure it will be lovely…" He nodded positively, finishing his speech.

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose. The monk, for the third time in his two lives, had said something that actually made sense to him. And he was right. Shippo and Hikari would be happy together, and their family, dare he think it, would be healthy and happy raised in this era. Inuyasha had done what he could to make sure the kit was raised as properly as possible. Now, after so many years, the direction of Shippo's future was going to be up to him…

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Ha! Bet you thought it was going to end there, did you? Well, wrong! Guess what? There is still at least five more chapters, and more if I'm feeling up to it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up really soon, if it isn't already. Can you tell the sequel is just a tad Shippo-based?

Please review and let me know what you think, and I will update as soon as possible. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Here is the next chapter of this one! Hope you all like it! Please review and let me know what you think.

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Ten_

Inuyasha groaned. There was someone knocking on his door. He had no will to answer it. He had been up all night thinking about Shippo and Hikari, and had barely gotten any sleep. The damned modern era had certainly spoiled him to no end, he thought as he shuffled towards his bedroom door.

"Wha…?" he groaned as he cracked it open.

It was Shippo. H smiled at his father. "I'm leaving with Hikari and the twins and Sumire are heading for the shopping district. I just thought you would like to know." He reported.

"What about Rin? Is she going with you guys?" Inuyasha asked, his senses finally clearing somewhat.

Shippo shook his head. "Sesshoumaru and Yuka left with her this morning."

"Oh." Inuyasha realized. After a moment, he nodded. "That's fine…but I'd like to talk to you when you get home…" he added, almost as an afterthought.

Shippo nodded, still smiling. "That's fine. I love you! Tell mom the same!" he waved as he headed towards the stairs.

>>>>>>

Shippo and Hikari rounded a corner. They were standing in front of the hospital. Shippo smiled. "This is going to sound weird, but this place is where your mom found out you were a girl…the first time around, I should say. I never got to come to mom's time when we all lived in the feudal era. It was too dangerous for demons to be here. Mom even said it made her nervous to bring dad here sometimes. She was so afraid we'd be exposed, and people would hate us…but things have changed a lot." He mused.

"Yeah, I guess they have…and you and your family have lived through all of it." Hikari smiled. "You experienced history…"

"Not all of us lived through it. Mom and dad are hanyous. They had four children and adopted me. One of their children, Kaname, was a human. She died nearly the same time that you…never mind…" Shippo frowned.

"What?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's nothing. Nothing to worry about now, anyways. I was too young back then to understand anything, but now I do, and this time, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He vowed.

"My parents said that your mom and Inuyasha were our age when it happened to them too," Hikari suddenly remembered, and Shippo nodded in confirmation.

Someone from over by the doors of the hospital cleared his throat, and both of them looked over to see who it was. Shippo tilted his head to one side.

The man spoke. "Did you say Inuyasha?" he asked.

Shippo's gaze instantly changed from wonder to worry. "Why do you care who we were talking about? You don't know my father…" he replied to the man.

The doctor shook his head. "Oh, yes I do. And I know of Sesshoumaru as well." He smirked. "I remember them…although I'm not quite sure who you are.." he frowned.

Shippo frowned, and gasped in sudden realization. He remembered hearing about it. He hadn't actually been there when Rin had been born, but his uncle had told him the story. Yuka had died, and Sesshoumaru went with her. His mother had brought the both of them back…but not long after that the doctor had kidnapped Rin…

"You…are you the one who kidnapped my cousin?" Shippo accused him. "It was you! How else would you know my father, or his brother? It had to have been you!"

"It was, you foolish child. I do not understand how one who has lived so long could be so ignorant."

Shippo reddened considerably. "I don't care what you don't understand!" Shippo yelled. "Stay away from me and my family!"

The doctor laughed. "You don't understand a thing, do you boy?"

Shippo looked confused. He felt Hikari's grip tighten around his arm, but he did not once break eye contact with the doctor. "No. I don't. What's going on? Why did you do it?" he demanded.

"Shippo…" Hikari whispered. "I don't think…"

"The girl has to die, you idiot boy. And one way or another, I am going to see to it that it happens. I may have failed once, but I will not fail again." He said threateningly.

Shippo's hand was balled into a fist. "I swear, if you even think of coming near my family…" he growled.

The doctor laughed. "What are you going to do, you stupid fox? This is the modern times. Go ahead and kill me if you want, but the government will make sure that you never see the light of day again, so long as you live…"

"Me?" Shippo gasped. "You just threatened to kill Rin!"

"That," smirked the doctor, "is quite different."

"Why?" demanded Shippo.

"Because, stupid boy…I have immunity." He smiled.

Shippo blinked. "Immunity?" he whispered.

Again, the doctor laughed. "You can figure that one out on your own." He said. Turning around, he pointed something at the two of them, but Shippo realized what it was all too late. The gunshot went off, and hit Hikari in her right shoulder. She screamed, as did several other people on the street.

Shippo bent down and examined Hikari's wound. He frowned at it. He did not want to take her into the same hospital that housed the man who had hurt her and threatened his family. His next best option was home. He picked her up bridal style and ran all the way there without stopping.

>>>>>>

"Dad!" Shippo yelled. "Hikari has been shot!"

Kagome and Inuyasha looked up. Both of them looked surprised and confused.

"What is it?" asked Inuyasha.

Shippo took a deep breath. "Hikari and I were down by the hospital, and we were talking, and there was a doctor there that knew who you and uncle Sesshoumaru were, and I think he kidnapped Rin when she was little, and he said he had to kill her!" he reported very quickly. "Then he shot Hikari! He shot her as he was leaving! No one did anything!"

Kagome nodded, still looking confused. "Is Hikari okay? Bring her into the living room and I'll fix her right up. What did you say about someone wanting to kill Rin?" she asked, carefully taking Hikari from Shippo's arms and lying her on the couch. "Inuyasha!" she called. "Call Miroku and Sango and tell them to get here, quick!" she commanded.

Shippo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hikari. I didn't know. We should have left…"

"It's okay," she groaned. "It isn't that bad."

Inuyasha sighed. "They are already on their way, Kagome." He told her. "Is she going to be all right?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, she'll be fine." She smiled.

"Good." Shippo sighed with relief.

"Shippo, you need to tell us what he said. Tell us everything, and don't skip a detail…" Inuyasha told him. "It is very important that we know who we are up against." He informed him.

Shippo shrugged. "I don't know who he was…but he said he would kill her, and that he had immunity from the government. I don't know what he meant by that, though…" Shippo admitted honestly.

Kagome gasped in shock.

Inuyasha blinked. "What is it, Kagome?"

"Inuyasha…why do you think Rin and Sesshoumaru do not go to visit Yuka's parents?" she asked him. She paused, but he offered up no answer, so she continued. "Because, Inuyasha. My mom told her parents all that was going on. That part, they were fine with. However, I do not think they anticipated in a million years that Yuka would actually fall in love with one of the demons my mother had told them stories about. They never approved. I think they thought Yuka would marry Hojo or something. They hate that she is mated to a demon…Yuka has stopped visiting them…"

"But," Inuyasha frowned. "I thought her parents would be dead by now?"

"No," Kagome shook her head. "They never hopped back and forth through time as I did with my family. They have always remained here. More time passed for us because we chose to remain on the other side of the well."

"So?"

"Don't you see where I'm going with this, Inuyasha? Yuka's father works for the court system…"

>>>>>>

**A/N: **How's that:D Well, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Here is the next chapter of this one! Hope you all like it! Please review and let me know what you think.

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Eleven_

"How are you feeling, Rin?" whispered Kagome. "You are going to be just fine, although you shouldn't be exerting that arm too much in the near future. It will heal all right…there won't be any significant scarring…"

"It's all right, Miss Kagome…" Hikari smiled.

"Miss?" Shippo repeated.

Inuyasha came into the room. "Sango and Miroku are here, and Sesshoumaru, Yuka, and Rin are following them in." he reported. "So I guess we have to talk to everyone, don't we?" he mused, and Kagome nodded.

"Inuyasha, tell everyone to meet me in the living room in about ten minutes. I am going to get myself cleaned up and then I'll be down." She told him.

He nodded. "Got it."

>>>>>>

"Wait a damn minute…" Sesshoumaru growled. "Are you telling me…that you think Rin's own grandparents are trying to kill her? Simply because Yuka mated me?" Sesshoumaru blinked. "What the hell?"

Kagome sighed. "That is what we believe. I'm sorry." She frowned.

Yuka took a deep breath. "I don't understand why they would go to such lengths over something like this. They were fine with everything…until I fell for Sesshoumaru. I can't believe they would do this. You don't think they would really go through with it…do you, Sesshoumaru?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I do not know how their minds work, unfortunately."

Yuka blinked. "This isn't my fault!"

"I know," Sesshoumaru said quickly. "But…your parents are trying to kill our daughter. I think that something has gone terribly wrong somewhere along the line, and I don't understand how we missed something like this…"

"I can't believe that man shot Hikari. I mean, why would he be so bold?" Miroku frowned deeply. "I don't like the way that this whole thing seems to be unfolding. This is going to end up involving people that need not be involved. Everything about it seems completely senseless."

"I am fine, father." Hikari smiled. "Shippo brought me here. I think we ought to be more worried about Rin's safety…" she suggested.

Sesshoumaru nodded with enthusiasm. "I have to agree…although there is an easy way to solve the problem…or try to solve it."

"Hm?" wondered Yuka out loud.

"We need to talk to your father, Yuka." Sesshoumaru blurted quickly.

Yuka paled. "But Sesshoumaru! If he really wants to hurt you and Rin, would walking up to him to talk about it be a good idea?" she asked him.

Sesshoumaru seemed to be thinking about this for a moment before he finally responded. "Hikari has been shot, and she has nothing to do with anything that has happened…it is too dangerous. We have to talk to him. We are going to have to risk it, before someone ends up getting really hurt."

Sango nodded. "I agree. However, I think that if you go, it would not be wise to go alone. I would suggest bringing Kagome and myself?" she whispered.

Kagome took a deep breath, and nodded her agreement. "Fine with me." She smiled.

"I still think that this whole thing seems very dangerous…" whined Inuyasha, folding his arms in front of his chest in anger. "I don't like it at all."

"Oh well. I'm still going." Kagome said in a definite tone.

>>>>>>

Yuka's parent's house loomed before them. It was a moderately sized home in downtown Tokyo, surrounded by small trees. Yuka took a deep breath before stepping up to the front door and knocking softly.

After a few moments, someone answered. It was her mother. She looked confused for a moment, seeing her daughter, her son-in-law, her granddaughter, and two people she honestly didn't recognize.

"What's wrong, Yuka?" her mother whispered, a worried look in her eyes.

"As if you don't know, mother. Where is dad?" demanded Yuka.

Her mother took a step back and let her daughter and everyone else into the house. "He's in his study…" she said under her breath as the group removed their shoes and made their way into the house.

Yuka took yet another deep breath, and Sesshoumaru placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't know if I can do this…" she whispered to him.

"Yes you can. You're very strong, Yuka. This is nothing compared to everything that you have been through…" Sesshoumaru replied.

"Really?"

He nodded quickly.

"All right…" she smiled faintly, knocking hard on her father's office door. "Dad?" she called. "I need to talk to you!"

>>>>>>

Yuka's father did not look happy to see any of them. He kept his eyes toward the wall behind the group, and remained stoic as Yuka questioned him.

"I know what you have arranged to do, daddy…" she whispered after her series of questions was finally over. "I know about it, and just so you know, an innocent girl has been hurt in your quest to ruin my happiness. You are despicable for what you asked that man to do…" she growled at him.

Again, she felt Sesshoumaru's hand on her shoulder. "Calm yourself, Yuka."

"What are you talking about?" demanded her father, although there was a dangerous smile on his face, and a glint in his eye.

Seeing her father deny his actions angered Sesshoumaru. He took a deep breath. "The doctor told us what you want him to do!" he yelled at his father-in-law. "We know about everything! How could you? How could you want your own granddaughter dead? Is this because of me?"

Rin's eyes clouded with worry and fear, and she seemed to shrink a little bit. She had only seen her father this angry twice in her life, and neither time had ended well.

"I have done no such thing!" he roared.

"We have proof!" screamed Yuka. "You've been caught red handed!"

Yuka's father began to laugh in a wild and uncontrollable manner. Yuka took a step back in fear as her father stood quickly. She ended up clashing with Sesshoumaru's front. She gasped.

"Dad?" She whispered. "Something is wrong…this isn't him. I've never seen him like this before…"

Sango blinked. "What the…" she realized. "Get back, everyone! That isn't Yuka's father! It's a demon! Run!" she commanded, pushing Yuka and Rin out of the line of attack.

Sesshoumaru drew his sword.

"Sesshoumaru, no! Don't hurt him!" Yuka screamed. "What happened to my _real_ father?"

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Short, eh? Sorry about that. Hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Sorry for the long time between updates. This story is going to be much shorter than its prequel, but I have my reasons, and I have been really busy lately. Don't think just because this one is shorter means I won't continue to write. I have about a million other ideas in my head. I hope you guys like this one. Review and let me know what you think.

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**_  
Chapter Twelve_

"Your real father?" the man smirked. "Well, if I am here, then obviously something has happened. Now hasn't it? Can you guess what that is?"

Yuka shook her head. "So it wasn't him...he doesn't want to hurt my family. This was all your doing..."

"Wrong again, I'm afraid." The demon posing as her father seemed to taunt her with the glint in his eyes. He smiled. "You see, it was your father who originally wanted all of this taken care of...but his methods were so..._loud_...I was afraid he was going about it the wrong way. I had to get what I want, and he wasn't doing things properly. I consulted him about it, but he would not listen to reason. That is why I had to dispose of him."

Yuka blinked. "Dispose of...?"

Sesshoumaru stepped in front of her protectively. "When did this happen?" he demanded, his eyes glowing with the extent of his anger. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword, which seemed to be pulsing with demon energy, even while at rest.

"It has been quite a while, Lord Sesshoumaru," the demon nodded.

Sesshoumaru blinked in confusion.

"Did you think I was not aware of who I was talking to?" the demon laughed. "I am not dumb, Lord Sesshoumaru. After all, don't you remember, I had my own motives in joining your mate's father in his quest...but I had a different objective. This is where her father and I could not agree."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sango, frowning deeply.

"I did not want to kill the girl, Lord Sesshoumaru. Those were not my intentions. I did, however, wish to kill your mate."

The growl that erupted from Sesshoumaru's throat at mention of harm coming to Yuka was unlike anything she or her daughter had ever heard. He placed a protective hand on her and puched her back slightly. "Why you insolent---" he snarled.

"Yes...you have understood me perfectly." the demon nodded, taking a threatening step forward. "Killing that mate of yours would certainly mean your death...but the stubborn old man did not wish to see his own daughter killed. He just wanted Rin out of the way. I, however, desired the opposite."

"You..." Yuka stammered, her jaw dropping to the floor in shock.

"Yes...I want your daughter. I could mate her, and then with the two of you gone, there would be no one standing in the way of me getting exactly what I want."

"I don't think so..." Sango smirked.

"The school?" Sesshoumaru said out loud. "You want the school?" He paused a moment. "Or is it more than that?"

The demon nodded. "Of course it is! It is always more!"

"You are starting to annoy me." Yuka groaned. "You are talking about all of us as if we are not standing here...yet you are outnumbered, and obviously not nearly as smart as us. I would suggest that you quiet yourself...right after you tell me what you have done to my real father."

"He is gone. There is nothing left, and you will find nothing." he said quickly. "Are you happy knowing this?"

Yuka took a deep breath, and finally nodded. "Yes, I'm happy knowing, but I'd be even happier once you were dead..."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "That can be taken care of." he smirked, pulling his sword out of its sheath. "Demon, you are going to pay for what you have done to Yuka's family, and for what you were even _thinking _of doing to mine..."

He nodded. "Yes...I will pay." he smiled. "If you can catch me, that is..."

In a split second, the demon disappeared, reappeared in front of Rin, grabbed her, and disappeared again. Yuka screamed. What happened was so quick that it barely had any time to register in their minds. Sesshoumaru pivoted around on his heel, and ran towards the front of the house. No one was there except Yuka's mother, who was staring at the group in her husband's study with confusion etched in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"What the hell? Where did he go?" he screamed. "Rin!"

"Sesshoumaru!" Miroku yelled. "They're gone...calm yourself before something else happens..."

"But that son-of-a-bitch just took my daughter! I was standing right there."

"Yes...I know. And we will find her. You have forgotten that you know her scent, and you know his. Even in this city, you should be able to find them. The well is sealed, so there is no way that he could jump between time periods as Kagome used to do..and he will not be able to run that far with you on his trail."

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. "Yuka..."

Yuka nodded. "Yes?"

"Call Kagome and Inuyasha. We will stop by the house, and then I will be leaving as soon as possible. You are to stay at the house where you will be safe...and I will return with our daughter..."

Yuka nodded again, this time with understanding in her eyes. "All right, Sesshoumaru." she smiled, wrapping him in a hug. She glanced up at him, and tears stung her eyes. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Please be safe, okay?"

He shook his head. "This will not be a problem, Yuka. That demon was not strong...just very bold."

"I'm not so sure, Sesshoumaru..." Sango frowned. "I got another impression. Please be careful. Do not let yourself get injured. That would not solve any problems."

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly. "I will be fine." He paused. "And I will bring her home safely."

>>>>>>

"Let go of me! Where are we? My father is going to kill you!" Rin yelled. "You need to let me go now, before something bad happens to you!"

"Was that a threat?" he smirked.

"Yes, it was." she replied.

>>>>>>

"Inuyasha...I don't like any of this." Kagome frowned. "I don't like that Hikari was hurt, and it really makes me uneasy that they aren't back from Yuka's yet. You don't think...you don't think that anything bad has happened to them, do you? Maybe we should have gone with them to help?"

"They don't need our help. Sesshoumaru is there...remember?" Inuyasha reminded her.

Kagome nodded. "I know...but something doesn't feel right."

"You think my parents are okay?" asked Hikari.

Shippo smiled. "I'm sure they are just fine." He paused. "But are you okay?"

She laughed. "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?"

Meanwhile, Kagome seemed to be staring off into space. Her expression was blank, and her mouth was parted slightly, as if she was about to say something, but could not think of the words to say. Inuyasha blinked several times, waving his hands in front of Kagome and trying to catch her attention, although none of this was seeming to work.

"Kagome!" he yelled at her. Finally, without another option, he grabbed her by the shoulders, and began to shake her. Still, she did not respond.

_"Rin!...Put her down you stupid bastard!" Sesshoumaru screamed. "Release my daughter right now. I'm going to kill you so quickly that you will not even realize what has happened...but if you have harmed even one hair on her head, I will make you pay! You will wish you were dead!" _

_The demon seemed to be staring at Kagome, although he did not see her. She could see everything like a television show playing out in front of her. She saw Sesshoumaru, his sword drawn, and the demon that he appeared to be talking to. The demon was holding Rin around her waist, and the young hanyou's face was streaked with tears. The demon holding her captive held one clawed hand to her throat. He began to address Sesshoumaru. _

_"There is nothing you can do now. The girl is mine, Sesshoumaru. And soon, you will be out of the picture. That mate of yours is probably taking her last breath right now. Can you feel it? You are growing weaker and weaker by the second. Soon, you will fade away, just as she will..."_

_"Yuka..." Sesshoumaru whispered, clutching at his sword with one hand, and his heart with the other. He suddenly felt as if he had been punched hard in the stomach, and there was a pain in his chest that he found almost unbearable. _

_The demon laughed. "That's it, Sesshoumaru. Fall to your knees and accept defeat!" _

_"I will not..." he groaned, although there was now sweat beading his forehead, and he was gripping his sword as if it was the only thing holding him in a standing position. Suddenly, his breathing became short and labored, and he wavered where he stood. Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on his sword, pulled it out from under him, and charged at the demon in front of him. _

_"Daddy, no!" Rin screamed at him. _

_Sesshoumaru ran the demon in front of him through with his sword, but nothing happened. Finally, he succumbed to his pain, dropping to his knee, and abandoning his sword all together. Rin began to scream even louder than before._

"No!" screamed Kagome, jumping forward to help. However, she did not reach Sesshoumaru. She landed straight in Inuyasha's arms.

She blinked. "Inuyasha?" she whispered. "What happened?"

"You went completely blank there for a second." Inuyasha frowned with worry. "What happened to you? Are you all right, Kagome? You look like you're sick..."

"I saw something..." Kagome admitted. "We have to warn Yuka and Sesshoumaru..."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded. "What exactly did you see?"

>>>>>>

**A/N:** How'd you like it? Cliffy again, I know...but I can't help myself sometimes. :D Please review:D


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Here's chapter thirteen guys! Wow, I've been writing a lot this weekend! I'm actually done with this one. There are two more chapters after this...although I will not be publishing them all at once. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**  
_Chapter Thirteen_

"Kagome, calm down. We have to figure out where he went before we can help him." Inuyasha frowned. "You have to remember...we beat Naraku twice, didn't we? And we may not know what's going on very well right now, but as soon as we find out, it probably won't be that hard to do anything about it..."

Kagome frowned. "Inuyasha...if we don't find him soon, he is going to die. And if he dies, so does Yuka...which means that Rin would be all alone to fend for herself against this demon, whoever he is..."

Inuyasha seemed to think this over a bit. "You said Miroku and Sango went with Rin, Sesshoumaru, and Yuka, didn't you?" He waited, and Kagome nodded. He seemed to be thinking some more. "Shippo!" he called. Shippo ran in. "Find your brother and sister and tell them that we may need their help getting your uncle and your cousin out of trouble. Tell them to hurry..."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "You're going to let them come with us?"

"Of course I am! They are strong, Kagome. Really strong. And they can certainly take care of themselves. We can not go up against that demon alone if he is as strong as you described..."

Kagome looked like she was pouting. "So you don't mind letting them fight against a demon who you know is going to kill Sesshoumaru if we don't get to him?"

Someone from behind them cleared their throat. When Inuyasha and Kagome turned around, Inuyasha's father was standing there, staring at them. "Kagome," he smiled, "I do not think Inuyasha means that he is willing to put your children in danger. I believe he means that he has confidence in them and trusts their abilities on the battlefield, and their ability to protect themselves and to help you..."

Kagome nodded. "That doesn't mean I have to like the idea." she growled.

"True...but he is right, isn't he?" Inutaisho whispered.

"Maybe..." Kagome frowned. "Where is my sword?"

Inuyasha jumped up and ran up the stairs. "I'll get it for you!" he called as he reached the top. "Where did you put it?" he asked from the top floor.

"Right where it's always been, Inuyasha. Grab my quiver and bow as well, please."

Inuyasha nodded and ran into their room, returning minutes later with his sword, Kagome's, and her bow and quiver in his hands. "Do you have any idea when everything that you saw actually happened?" he asked her when he returned.

She shook her head. "No, I don't...but I imagine that we don't have that much time to waste."

"I'm coming along as well..." Inutaisho announced as he grabbed his sword. Jin, Kagome's father, was right behind him in this gesture. "Okay, next question...where to?"

"We're waiting for the twins to..." Just as Kagome said this, both of them rushed through the door, up the stairs, and back down again. When they reached the bottom, each of them had their swords in hand.

"Just what kind of trouble has Uncle Sesshoumaru managed to get himself into now?" asked Taka.

"You act as if it is some sort of habit for him..." smirked Toku.

"Calm down and follow me..." Kagome chastised them. "We have got to get to them before something bad happens. We're going to head to Yuka's house first and see if they know what is going on. We will be able to meet up with Sango and Miroku once we are there."

"...I want to come along and help." Everyone turned around when they heard this voice. It was Hikari who had spoken. She was standing next to Shippo, her face set with an almost illegible expression.

Shippo paled. "You can't go! You just got shot! And what would happen if you got hurt? Not only would Sango and Miroku kill me, I'd..." but whatever Shippo was about to say, he stopped short and blushed a violent red color. "Never mind." he whispered.

"I'm going." She said more sternly. "You think my mother and father never explained things to me? Never trained me? My mother was a demon slayer, remember?"

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose in shock at the girl's firmness. He seemed to be thinking for a minute before he finally nodded. "All right." he said.

"Inuyasha! We are not her parents!" Kagome frowned.

"She can come with us as far as Yuka's house. If, when we get there, her parents do not wish her to come along, then she will stay behind. We can't just tell her she isn't allowed to go at all...as you said, we aren't her parents, remember?"

Kagome sighed in defeat. "Let's just go..." she whispered.

>>>>>>

The group arrived at Yuka's house in a short time, and rushed into the house. Sango and Miroku were sitting in the living room with a very distraught Yuka and her mother. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be seen.

Kagome paled. "I was right. God, I hate it when I am right..." she whispered to herself. "How long ago did Sesshoumaru leave? The demon took Rin, didn't he? And Sesshoumaru has gone out looking for them?"

Yuka nodded to each of Kagome's questions. "He left pretty quickly. I don't think I have ever seen him quite so angry. The demon threatened us. He killed my father. My father wanted Yuka dead...the demon wants to mate Yuka, kill Sesshoumaru and I, and get everything we have..."

"He wants to do _what_ to Yuka?" Shippo nearly spat.

Yuka frowned. "You heard me correctly. Sesshoumaru tried to dispose of him, but he grabbed Yuka and he was gone so quickly even Sesshoumaru didn't realize what had happened until it was too late to do anything about it..."

Kagome took a deep breath. "Yuka...which way did he go? We have to know. Sango, Miroku, we need you to come with us and help us save him. He is in grave danger, and because of that, so is Yuka. We have to find them before Sesshoumaru manages to get himself killed."

"Killed?" Yuka repeated.

"That is what Kagome saw..." Inuyasha confirmed.

"What you saw?" Sango shook her head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain on the way. Are you coming?" Kagome waited, and Sango and Miroku nodded. "All right then. Is she coming?" This time Kagome pointed to Hikari. The girl seemed to be in a staring match with her mother and father for a moment before Sango and Miroku both nodded their approval.

"Yes, she can come. She may be very helpful..." Miroku agreed.

Inuyasha frowned. "We have to go!" he growled. "Yuka, we don't need to know where he went...we should be able to follow his scent and find him, your daughter, and the bastard that took her." He said quickly before he turned to leave.

"Inuyasha...everyone?" Yuka called.

They all turned.

She smiled weakly. "Please be safe..." she whispered. "And please bring them home to me..."

"We will, Aunt Yuka..." promised Taka as the group rushed out the door.

>>>>>>

**A/N: **I will update soon, hopefully! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Okay, I am going to finish up _What the Future Holds _and _New Beginnings _before continuing on with _The Best I Ever Had. What the Future Holds_ is close to completion. This one will be a bit open ended, but the chapter you are about to read is not the last one. It's close though...Please review and let me know what you think.

>>>>>>

**What the Future Holds**  
_Chapter Fourteen_

"That idiot. He always has to go off and do things on his own. He's going to get himself killed one of these days, and all because he was too damn stubborn to wait for us and let us help him..." Inuyasha growled.

"First of all," smirked Kagome, "you just practically described yourself...and second of all, if we don't hurry and find Sesshoumaru, I think you may be right...so could you calm down a bit and help us look for him?"

Inuyasha blinked. "There's too many damned people in this city. I can't smell anything..." he grumbled.

"I can." His father nodded. "The strongest bond is that between a parent and child...even if Sesshoumaru isn't a child anymore..."

Inuyasha nodded. "All right then, dad. Lead the way."

Kagome sighed. "That's why Sesshoumaru went off on his own. What your father just said, Inuyasha...of course he wouldn't want to wait for us, because he knew he would be able to pick up her scent easier on his own. He is, after all, her father..."

"That doesn't excuse his rash behavior." frowned Sango. "I mean, I know we didn't always get along back in the feudal times, but that has been a long time ago, and the least he could have done was trust us to help him out."

Kagome shook her head. "No...I think we all know he would have gone off on his own whether we were there to stop him or not...that's just part of who he is..."

"Mom...guys...stop..." whispered Hikari. "Can't you all sense that presence? There is a really powerful demon up ahead. Could it be him?" She looked directly at Inutaisho, who seemed to be studying the air intensely with his nose.

He sighed deeply. "Yes, it is...but my next question is...if he's here, then where is he?"

They looked around. The demon lord was right. They could not see Sesshoumaru anywhere, although, as both Hikari and Inutaisho had noticed, he was there. The spot they stood in front of was familiar, and suddenly, everything registered in Kagome's mind.

"It's my family's shrine!" she gasped. "You don't think...? I mean, we sealed the well..." she stammered. "Is it possible that...?"

"After all that you've been through, you should know that anything is possible, mom." Taka whispered. "You think we should try it? If the jewel and everything came back, then maybe the well does work again? Maybe that is where Uncle Sesshoumaru went..."

"But what I saw..." Kagome whispered.

"I say we try it. There's no harm in trying..." Inuyasha leaped up the shrine steps. When they reached the well house, Kagome grabbed his arm before he could jump inside, and everyone stopped.

She frowned. "Inuyasha...what if we run into _ourselves_? You know...from the past? What are we going to do then?"

Inuyasha seemed to be thinking about this for a moment before he finally responded to her. He took a deep breath. "It's possible, but we don't have time to worry about it. If it happens, we will deal with it, but we have to help Sesshoumaru before he gets himself and Yuka killed."

"And what if it's a trap?" questioned Miroku, who was now standing on Inuyasha's right.

Inuyasha nodded. "Well, if it is, we'll just have to not get caught, eh? We can't worry about such things right now, though. If something happens while we're there, we'll take care of it...now come on already!" he basically commanded, taking Kagome's hand in his own and jumping into the bone eater's well.

Much to all of their surprise, they were all allowed to travel to the other side of the well. Once again, they found themselves in the feudal era. It had been five hundred years since they had lived in this place, and now, going back to the past, they weren't sure what they would find. Everything looked the same.

The group was about to come to the edge of the clearing of Inuyasha's forest when they ran into someone they were not expecting to run into...the feudal version of Sesshoumaru.

"Inuyasha?" he blinked several times. "Father?" he paled.

Both Inuyasha and Inutaisho nodded.

Sesshoumaru gulped. "L-L-Look...I just saw...myself...come through the bone eater's well in the forest and chase after a demon and a hanyou. I can't explain it...because I didn't get the time to talk to...myself..." he gulped. "But...I think...I...I headed that way..." he pointed. "You are looking for..._me_, right?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes..." She explained. "You did see yourself...the future version, anyway...and thanks for the tip." she smiled as they started to run off.

Sesshoumaru scratched his head. "Lady...Kagome? What happened to...?"

"Good-bye, Sesshoumaru!" they called as they ran in the direction in which he had pointed.

"We can't stop anymore!" Inutaisho called. "He was right...his scent is coming from this way, and I don't think we have much time left to find him!" He told everyone. "Be prepared when we get there!" He had already drawn his own sword, and was charging through the woods, slashing at obstacles as he came to them. Finally, he stopped. The rest of the group followed suit.

In front of them, Sesshoumaru was standing with his sword drawn, staring at the unnamed demon, who held Rin around her waist with a claw to her throat.

Kagome gulped. This is how everything had began. This is what she had seen.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha called. "Be careful! Your sword can not kill him!"

The demon looked over in surprise. "How the hell would you know that?" he demanded.

Sesshoumaru blinked. "How am I supposed to help her?" he demanded of his friends and family.

"I have an idea..." smirked Miroku.

Sango glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"Sango, look down." He commanded.

She did as he told her to do, and gasped at what she saw. None of them had noticed it before because they had been so preoccupied with finding Sesshoumaru and Rin, but they were all back in the same clothing they had worn during the feudal times. She nearly screamed. "What? What in the--? What do you think this means?" she asked him.

He smiled confidently. "I'm thinking it means that the well has more tricks than we thought. We're back to our old element...which, if I am thinking right, should mean..." He looked down at his hand.

Sango gasped. "Miroku, no! You can't risk it!"

He grinned at her. "Yes, I can." he replied. "Kagome, can you make a barrier around Sesshoumaru?"

"You idiot! You'll suck Rin into that black hole of yours as well!" Sesshoumaru growled.

"No, I won't." Miroku shook his head. "Trust me."

"Trust you?" yelped Sesshoumaru. "If she gets hurt, I swear I'll..." he growled.

"Mom...what is he talking about?" Hikari whispered, looking around in suspicion.

Sango frowned, pushing Hikari back slightly. "Traveling back to the past has put us back...well, back into our old roles. Your father's wind tunnel is back...so, you're going to want to stand behind me. I don't want you to get sucked in..." she worried.

Hikari nodded, and glanced at Shippo, who nodded softly as he looked himself over. They were indeed back to their old selves, quite literally. But it was confusing. They had already ran into the feudal Sesshoumaru...and here they were standing in front of the future Sesshoumaru. But...if they looked like they used to, what did that mean to their feudal selves?

Shippo shook his thoughts out of his head in confusion. He couldn't think of such confusing things right now. It wasn't the time for such things.

Miroku smiled. "Kagome, I'm going to count to three..."

"What?" growled the demon, wheeling around. Rin yelped in fear, and cried out for her father.

"One...two..." Miroku began.

Kagome nodded in determination.

"Three!" he screamed, ripping off the barrier that protected everyone else from his cursed hand.

>>>>>>

**A/N: **Please review and let me know what you think:D The next chapter, as well as the the exciting conclusion, will be here soon:D


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thanks for the response on this story so far:D Please keep the reviews coming! I love to hear what you guys think! Here's the _shocking conclusion_!

--

**What the Future Holds**

_Chapter__Fifteen_

Kagome dropped to her knees, sticking her sword into the ground and quickly erected the barrier as Miroku's wind tunnel unveiled itself. A small blue barrier appeared around Sesshoumaru, and suddenly, it was as if he was completely unaffected by the pulling power of the black hole in Miroku's palm. The unnamed demon who currently had Rin in his clutches looked very surprised at this new development. He tried to resist the strong pull, but was beginning to slip.

Rin began to scream. She could feel it. It mere seconds, they would be no more.

"Kagome!" Miroku yelled.

She nodded. As Rin and the unnamed demon went flying, the barrier around Sesshoumaru disappeared, and a new one appeared around Rin. The demon was shocked by the barrier, and let Rin loose. He continued to be pulled towards the wind tunnel, and Sesshoumaru ran forward and grabbed Rin as he was finally sucked in. Miroku closed his wind tunnel, a look of pure relief on his face.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru growled. "You could have gotten us killed!"

"It worked, didn't it, son?" smirked Inutaisho.

Sango nodded. "Yes...it did work...but something about this seems to wrong. The fact that we were even able to come back to this place is wrong. And we are...well, we are dressed as we used to be...back when we lived here. What do you think it all means?" she whispered.

Kagome, exhausted, leaned up against a nearby tree. "Sango is right. That was way too easy. Something is very wrong here..."

"What could it be?" asked Hikari.

The group was silent a moment. Everyone seemed to be rolling this question over and over in their heads...yet no one seemed to be able to come up with a proper answer as to why they were there, or explain what had happened to them.

Finally, Kagome sighed deeply. "Well, if we can't come up with the answers, then I bet I know someone who might know them. Let's go..." she stood and began to walk towards the clearing in the forest.

"Hold on a minute..." whined Inuyasha. "Where are we going?"

"To visit Kaede. If the well is open, and we are indeed back in the feudal era, that may mean she is alive as well...and she always had the answers that we could not get ourselves. I am going to trust that to be true this time as well..."

"But Kagome..." Inuyasha frowned. "What if she isn't there?

"We won't know until we try, and we have to try, Inuyasha. I'm confused, and before we go anywhere, I want answers. I don't understand how we could somehow revert to our old selves, yet I've still seen two different Sesshoumarus since we got here. Do you even remember the last time Taka, Toku, Shippo, or Sumire wore their clothing like that? Why would it suddenly change when we came through, but nothing changed for Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha blinked. "But, Kagome...by that time Kaede was already dead, remember?"

"Well, let us hope that she is not, because I want to get to the bottom of this."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I have to agree, but I also promised Yuka that I would bring Rin back safely, so I must insist that we make this visit short and try to get back to where we rightfully belong as quickly as possible.

--

"Kaede!" Kagome called as they reached the old woman's village. Everything seemed normal about it. It was the way they all remembered it. There was the people working in the field, the old women busy with their crafts, and several children running around and playing games with one another. Kagome smiled as she surveyed the area. "Kaede!" She yelled a second time as the group came upon the hut that had belonged to her back in the feudal times.

"Kagome?" the old woman's voice responded. "But I thought ye just left for...?"

"No, Kaede...we are from the future. I think. I don't know what has happened..." Kagome frowned.

"What do ye mean, child?" asked Kaede.

Kagome sighed, and began to explain. She talked about everything. She explained how they were their future selves, that the well had been sealed, that Naraku and the jewel had came back, that the well had reopened, and everything leading up to their arriving in her village. The old woman did not say a word the entire time. Instead, she nodded, listening intently, but never interrupting. When Kagome was done telling her everything, she sighed deeply.

"Yes, that does seem like it would be far too easy for as much trouble as that demon put ye through..." she agreed. "Have ye tried to go back through the well yet?" she asked.

The group shook their heads.

"We wanted to come to you first..." Inuyasha nodded.

The old woman smiled. "I do not know what to tell ye...I'm sorry. I don't understand what is going on. Kagome, why don't ye head back toward the well, and if it doesn't work, we will try to figure something out from there..."

Kagome nodded decisively. "I'll be back soon," she nodded to Inuyasha and her children.

"I don't want you going into that forest alone, Kagome..." Inuyasha said sternly.

She blinked. "Inuyasha...honestly..." she sighed, shaking her head. She turned and left quickly. Taking the hint that she could handle herself, Inuyasha did not follow. She was surprised. Usually, even when she didn't desire his company he would follow her. She smiled. He was protective. She knew he couldn't help that...but she _was_ pretty sure she could handle the trip to the well all by herself.

Kagome arrived at the well, stared for a moment, and jumped inside. Nothing happened. There was no flash of bright purple light...no falling through time...nothing. It appeared that they were going to be stuck here, unless Kaede had a better plan. Growling in frustration, she jumped from the well. How was she supposed to explain this to all of them? How was she going to explain this to Sesshoumaru? She shivered at the image that popped into her mind. Thoughts raced through her head a hundred at a time. She turned around, coming face to face with the sacred tree.

This was the place where she had first met Inuyasha. He had been pinned to the tree by Kikyou, and she had freed him. She had saved him...and then he had saved her...over and over and over...and now, they were back here again...and stuck. The well had failed her...but then again, she was back here, back to the place where everything had started...

She sighed. Being here did bring back some good memories, if nothing else. It was so peaceful and undisturbed in this place...she missed that kind of silence. Sighing again, she walked over to the tree, studying it closer. The point of Kikyou's arrow could still be felt inside the hole in the tree.

Kagome gasped. _Kikyou_..._the scent of grave dirt and bones_...

Gasping, she wheeled around, coming face to face with the dead priestess. Smiling, Kikyou got to within an inch of Kagome's face. "This is why you should have never come back here, Kagome. Now, you can share the same fate Inuyasha had...except this time, there will be no one to save you..."

Kagome's eyes grew wide. She gasped as the sword pierced her stomach, pinning her to the sacred tree...

--

Kagome awoke in a cold sweat. All around her it was dark...it must have been some time before dawn. She gasped. Had she died? Allowing her eyes time to adjust, she looked around carefully...and nearly screamed in surprise.

"What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha grumbled in his sleep. "Did you have a nightmare? You're going to wake the baby..." he whispered, hugging his pillow and turning over on his side.

" _Nightmare_? _Wake the baby_?" she repeated. She shook him awake. "Inuyasha! What happened? Where are we?"

Inuyasha blinked. "Did you really hit your head that hard in that last demon fight? If you keep carrying on, you're going to wake up Kaname, and I don't want to be the one to have to stay up with Kaname all night while she's cranky. She'll cry all night, and none of us will get any sleep..."

Kagome gasped. Kaname was alive? That had to mean...

...did she dream _everything_?

--

**A/N: **Bwa ha ha...evil lil ending, eh? And you guys fell for it. :D When I originally wrote 'What the Future Holds', I started with this chapter and worked backwards. :D Evil, aren't I? Well, I certainly wasn't going to thrust them that far in time that quickly without having some sort of freakish twist at the end...

LoL. Hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you think...:D


End file.
